Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Iran’s Secret Night Flights to Arm Assad’s Military - Report



The National, a state-run English-language daily newspaper published in Abu Dhabi, quoting an unnamed official in Syria, reported this week that Iran provides military support to President Bashar Al Assad by way of several weekly flights between Tehran and Damascus.

Up to three supply flights occur each week between the two cities, none of them appearing on public timetables, said an official with access to air traffic information in and out of Damascus International Airport. The flights reportedly take place at night.

“There are private flights every week, sometimes three a week, and they are controlled by an Iranian officer in Damascus,” the Syrian official said.

“We have not been told openly, but we know the flights are being organized by the [Iranian] Revolutionary Guard,” the official said. “Everyone must follow an [Iranian] officer’s orders. We have been told he is the second most important man in Syria and that we are to do as he says without question,” added the official. (The National, 27 October)


To read the full National article, please click here.

Note: The report says the flights from Tehran to Damascus pass through Iraqi airspace. Last July, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in an interview with pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that Iraq was unable to stop Iran transferring weapons to Syria through its airspace.

“We reject and condemn the transfer of weapons through our airspace and we will inform the Iranian side of that formally. But we do not have the ability to stop it,” Zebari said. (Asharq al-Awsat/Reuters, 13 July)
Photo credit: Syrian soldiers in a town west of Damascus. (Sana/AP/The National)

30 comments:

Mark Pyruz said...

We've been hearing the same sort of anecdotal accounts such as these since at least as early as November 2011, where PBS Frontline interviewed Syrian Sunni expatriates for views on the Syrian conflict.

There are a handful of videos of Iranian B747 and Il-76 aircraft on final approach to Damascus airport.

Nader Uskowi said...

Iraqi foreign minister said last July that Iraq has no power to stop those flight from using Iraqi airspace en route to Damascus. I will add his comments to the post.

Anonymous said...

The national is a good newspaper... to whipe ones bottom with.

Nader Uskowi said...

You profound analysis aside, do you believe that Iran is supplying arms to Syria by air, through the Iraqi airspace?

Anonymous said...

Nader, if Iran is, it is no more than the USA and certain other states are doing for the al qaeda cannibals in Syria.

Anonymous said...

What do you expect from these people? They are more concerned about Syria,Lebanon and Iraqis in general. I just came back from Iran and while I was there I drove to the Caspian sea from Tehran and saw nothing but wall to wall rubbish.When I arrived there the first thing I noticed was a whole area of trees have been cleared and bulldozers where still at work tearing down more of the countryside.Do you know why they done that? Because they are cutting down the trees for export while destroying the countryside. No one cares or can do anything about it because the government couldn't care less about it. Sorry Uskowi I had to let this off my chest because I am so upset about the dire situation in Iran.

teevee said...

absolutely just as we should. there cannot be peace and further advancement for Iran if the Wahabbi house of Saud is allowed to win anywhere. Iran as the premier nation in the region has an obligation too stand by her allies just as the US will stand by its allies.

Anonymous said...

smuggling through ground routes shouldn't be discounted. Though the foreign minister does seem to side with the syrian opposition the same probably isn't true of all the iraqi security and diplomatic apparatus.. Iraq did ground some iranian planes (they basicly justed asked politely if I'm not mistaken); nothing was found in those planes other then non-lethal aid. Some measure of collaboration should not be discounted (both Iran and Iraq benefitted from the acts)

I would like to know what is allegedly transferred. No army can just send troops to a battlefield, supply lines need to be established and a few flights per week doesn't suggest such a grand involvement. Passing basic supplies would be easier by ground if a level of cooperation can be found along the way.

Most of the syrian equipment is russian and it would therefore be very interesting to see what comes in cheaper when made in Iran then in Russia. Taking into account things like availability, weight&size, rates of use, etc. One could probably learn a lot about the iranian military production.

Anonymous said...

ps. I'm not the guy from the first post...

B.M.A said...

USKOWI
You have brought up this story here with so much gusto as if it is that news!. Every kid the world over knows Iranian tools and tactics is what make the Syrian Army resilient and united.In the middle of last year Russia become unsettles and furious to the Syrian Generals for being lax and deploying poor tactics that saw the army loosing and having their weapons [high tech tanks and other tools from Russia]grabbed by the Rats.This is the time you famously said 'Russia has thrown Assad under the bus'!
So Iran's active participation was needed.The result is what the world come learn of Qusayr and the subsequent victories the Syrian army has commanded, effectively throwing the insurgents in confusion and out of options!.After this developments the Russians were very respective of Iran WHICH explains the high level visits in Tehran!.IT is believed that Iran's covert participation and the Russian heavy support is what dissuaded the US from making their threat of a strike from seeing the light of the day .

low lets hope YOU won't report this to the white house and spoil the good mood in the ongoing nuclear talks!.

Anonymous said...

Will the author be kind enough to the readers to publish how Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, UAE, Qatar send weapons and fighters to Syria???

Syria is Iran's strategic depth and they're fight to keep it..From what's going on on the ground, Iran's winning against all the odds stacked against her.. Go Iran!!!!

Nader Uskowi said...

This was a simple post: that Iran was reported by an Arab newspaper to ship arms to Syria by air through Iraqi airspace. And a reference to Iraqi foreign minister saying the same thing. No editorial was offered. So this blogger is not the subject. Of course, the Iranian government denies to this day that it ships arms to Syria through Iraq. On this subject, however, the Iraqi FM and the National report sound to be more believable, don't you agree?

Anonymous said...

What is believable about it, Uskowi? "The National, a state-run English-language daily newspaper published in Abu Dhabi, quoting an unnamed official in Syria," (in other words, trust us because we say so). Allegations with no evidence to back them up.

Nader Uskowi said...

The report was published by the National and we carried it here, plus comments by the Iraqi FM. For those who follow Iran regional policies closely, the comments by the Iraqi FM and the story by the National were not surprises.

Anonymous said...

AnonymousOctober 30, 2013 at 3:56 AM
AnonymousOctober 30, 2013 at 9:16 AM
Well said!,just more unsubstantiated crap from the western msm,why dont they do a story about where the fsa/al qaida get their weapons from

Anonymous said...

Of course not, Uskowi. They were just allegations with no evidence to back them up.

Nader Uskowi said...

Do you really mean that Iraqi FM is telling lies? Shouldn't he know if Iran is using the Iraqi airspace to deliver arms to Assad? On what basis do you doubt his comments? Because you don't like them? Or because he shouldn't have said it?

Nader Uskowi said...

OK, do you consider Iraqi FM's comments a part of Western msm? Wow!

Anonymous said...

Nader UskowiOctober 30, 2013 at 9:13 PM
How do we even know the foreign minister said this,all I`m seeing is unsubstantiated claims from a biased source without a shred of proof to back it up,pretty much par for the course from western or pro western media

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...well iran is arming his allied syria with weapons. Everybody else is allowed to arm even terrorists. But iran is not allowed to arm his allie. No matter of sanction. Because iran is the best nation that knows what it means to be unfairly sanctioned....
Nader now i question u?
Is it really false in your eyes to do so?
If so then i will not wish u to have friends that thinks like yourself. Because when one day everybody says u are a bad person ( without or even with right ) i wish u will have real friends that stand by u.
The kid!

Nader Uskowi said...

Why do you have to go into so much trouble, like questioning the integrity of the leading Pan-Arab newspaper, to say Iran is not sending arms to Syria?

Nader Uskowi said...

Why some of the commentators become paranoid when subject of Syria is discussed. My post here, which all these comments are based on, never said Iran should not have armed Assad, as matter of fact it didn't offer any editorial on the subject. Please read it again! The post just said that a UAE paper reports that Iran is sending arms to Syria via Iraq. And that the Iraqi FM, in a separate interview with a Pan-Arab newspaper had basically said the same. Do you dispute these facts?

Anonymous said...

AnonymousOctober 30, 2013 at 7:52 PM
Agreed

Nader UskowiOctober 30, 2013 at 9:12 PM
This whole "article" was just a pack of unsubstantiated comments without a shred of proof to back them up

Anonymous said...

If they write crap like this then they dont have much integrity,this was the print equivalent of fox news,it was nothing more than a collection of unsubstantiated claims without a shred of evidence to back them up

Anonymous said...

Do you really believe everything that politicians say, without question? It is not exactly unheard of, for politicians to spin and lie.

"On what basis do you doubt his comments?" The lack of evidence to back them up.

Anonymous said...

It seems that the author has no interest at all, in letting readers know of how Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, UAE, Qatar send weapons and fighters to Syria.

Nader Uskowi said...

What evidence stronger that what the close ally of Iran is saying about the over-flights in his own country? Unless you believe these flights have ended and there is no reason to talk about the past.

Nader Uskowi said...

Anons 3:56 AM and 10:21 AM,

This blog is about Iran. There are so many good blogs on Syria, Turkey, Jordan and the Arab states of the Gulf, but we are not one of them. Our focus is on Iran, as the name applies.

Anonymous said...

'Our focus is on Iran, as the name applies.' And Syria, as this articles demonstrates.

You are giving readers only one side of the Syrian war.

Anonymous said...

Nader UskowiOctober 31, 2013 at 7:10 AM
These are not "facts" they are unsubstantiated comments from nameless sources,the same is true of the FM comments,there is nothing to back them up,its no different to the israelis citing nameless sources that iran has a nuclear weapons program,at best it is poor journalism,at worst its little better than anti iranian propaganda