Secret operation? (Illustration)
Photo: AP
Report: IAF struck arms convoy in Sudan in January
CBS News says Israeli aircraft bombed 17 trucks carrying weapons apparently meant for Hamas about two months ago, reportedly killing 39 people. Report refers to recent agreement to curb smuggling signed by Israel, US. Jerusalem declines comment
Israeli planes struck in January a convoy of trucks in Sudan that was headed for Egypt
and carrying weapons apparently meant for the Gaza Strip, the CBS television network reported Thursday.
According to the report 17 trucks had been bombed and 39 people had been killed in the strike.
Fighting Arms Smuggling
Associated Press
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The report was not confirmed by Israel.
The CBS report was based on information provided to Pentagon reporter David Martin by his sources, and published on the blog of the network's Washington-based correspondent Dan Raviv.
According to another report, in the SudanTribune.com website, Israel intelligence has tracked down the convoy northwest of the city of Port Sudan, as it was moving north, and the bombing took place near Mount al-Sha’anoon.
The CBS report also mentions an agreement signed between Israel and the US following Operation Cast Lead in Gaza that calls for increased international efforts to curb weapon smuggling into Hamas-led Gaza.
"American and Israeli diplomats said the (January) agreement includes intelligence coordination to prevent arms from Iran from entering Gaza, maritime efforts to identify ships carrying weaponry, and the sharing of US and European technologies to discover and prevent the use of weapons-smuggling tunnels," the report said, quoting SudnaTribune.com.
The Sudanese website added that the attack was "an embarrassment" to the local government, which discussed the matter with Cairo in order to gather more information and formulate a response.
One government official, the state Minister for Highways Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem said following the strike: "A major power bombed small trucks carrying arms – burning all of them. It killed Sudanese, Eritreans, and Ethiopians and injured others."
In the beginning of the week Egyptian media reported that American aircraft bombarded a convoy suspected of carrying weapons to Gaza.
