ISR Bombs Hamas Arms Shipment... in Sudan

[The Bread Guy]

From Ha'aretz:  "The Israel Air Force carried out an attack last January against a convoy of trucks in Sudan carrying arms for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to the American network CBS.  According to the report, 39 people riding in 17 trucks were killed, while civilians in the area suffered injuries.  Official Israeli sources refused to confirm or deny on Wednesday any report of Israel's involvement in an air strike in Sudan.  However, Sudanese State Minister for Highways Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem was quoted in the Paris-based Sudan Tribune Web site as saying that a "major power bombed small trucks carrying arms, burning all of them."  The strike "killed Sudanese, Eritreans and Ethiopians, and injured others," Saleem added .... "

More from the Jerusalem Post:  "As Israeli troops battled Palestinian gunmen during Operation Cast Lead in an attempt to end the rocket threat to southern Israel, IAF warplanes conducted a mission with similar objectives far from the front in the Gaza Strip, a CBS report revealed on Wednesday.  The report quoted unidentified American officials as saying that in January, Israeli warplanes bombed a convoy of trucks carrying arms destined for Hamas through Sudan.  "Israeli intelligence is said to have discovered that weapons were being trucked through Sudan, heading north toward Egypt, whereupon they would cross the Sinai Desert and be smuggled into Hamas-held territory in Gaza," the sources told CBS. "Israeli aircraft carried out the attack".  The IDF Spokesperson's Office said on Thursday morning that "Israel does not respond to publications such as this."  The attack reportedly killed 39 people and destroyed 17 trucks. Although Sudan has yet to officially blame - or even acknowledge - the strike, Sudanese State Minister for Highways Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem was quoted in the Sudanese Tribune this week as saying that a "major power bombed small trucks carrying arms, burning all of them." ...."

More on links

 

[Journeyman]

Further from the Ha'aretz link:

"...the countries cooperating in blocking the arms smuggling from Iran formulated a joint plan of operations. The plan includes the signing of a series of bilateral agreements..."

Well, I guess that'll shut Hamas down!

 

[The Bread Guy]

Can't say they weren't warned - from Ha'aretz:  "The U.S. warned the Sudanese government that weapons were being smuggled into the Gaza Strip through its territory ahead of a recent attack on a Gaza-bound arms convoy, which foreign media has attributed to the Israel Air Force, the pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Monday ...."

From Time.com:  ".... F-16 fighter-bombers carried out two runs on the convoy, while F-15 fighter planes circled overhead in case hostile aircraft were scrambled from Khartoum or a nearby country. After the first bombing run, drones mounted with high-resolution cameras passed over the burning trucks. The video showed that the convoy had been only partially damaged, so the Israelis ordered a second pass with the F-16s. During the 1,750-mile (2,800 km) journey to Sudan and back, the Israeli aircraft refueled in midair over the Red Sea ...."