Israel notified U.S. prior to bombarding arm smugglers in Sudan: TIME
March 30, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – The Israeli government informed the US administration of its intention to launch an airstrike against suspected arm smugglers inside Sudan, according to a revealing news report.
The ‘TIME’ magazine citing “highly-placed Israeli security sources” said that Washington was aware of the plan ahead of its execution.
“The Americans were notified that Israel was going to conduct an air operation in Sudan, but they were not involved” one of the sources said.
The details of the mystery airstrike started emerging last week after Pentagon officials told CBS news that Israeli planes struck on Sudanese soil. The disclosure was following allegations by Sudanese officials that US was behind the attack.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also reported that Washington sent a formal letter to Khartoum warning them on the flow of arms through Sudan to Hamas militant group in Gaza strip.
According to the ‘TIME’ magazine an informant told Israel’s foreign intelligence agency (Mossad) that Iran was planning a major delivery of a substantial amount of arms and explosives to Gaza including anti-tank rockets and Fajir rockets with a 25 mile range and a 45 kg warhead.
At the time, Israeli army was engaged in heavy battles with Hamas controlled government in the Gaza strip. Once the Intel was received the Israelis “had less than a week to pull this all together” the sources told ‘TIME’.
The Iranians sent the arm shipment to the coastal city of Port Sudan and then organized a smuggler’s convoy of 23 trucks that would take the weapons across Egypt’s southern border and up into the Sinai. Hamas would then take charge of the weapons and smuggle them into Gaza through the tunnels.
The sources said that only one raid was conducted, contrary to other reports claiming two or three others around different times.
They also said that US made F-16 fighter-bombers carried out two runs on the suspected arms convoy, while F-15 fighter planes circled overhead as a precaution 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 only been partially damaged, so the Israelis ordered a second pass with the F-16s. During the 1,750-mile (2800 km) journey to Sudan and back, the Israeli aircraft refueled in midair over the Red Sea.
The ‘TIME’ magazine spoke to some unnamed Hamas officials who acknowledged that the convoy was Gaza bound but said that the Israeli government exaggerated its content. They further dismissed the significance of the airstrike on their weapons supply saying they continue to have access to arms.
The Israeli sources said that several Iranians were killed in the raid, along with Sudanese smugglers and drivers.
The Sudanese government said that it withheld any disclosure of the bombing in Eastern Sudan pending their own investigations. However they suggested that it may be the Israelis who carried out the attack and not the US as they have said earlier. Other reports said that Sudan initially though Egyptian fighter jets bombed the convoy.
Sudanese officials said that they may lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council (UNSC) against Israel for the attack.
(ST)