Iran's Revolutionary Guards are exporting anti-aircraft weapons that can be used by a single person to Islamic militants in an intensified campaign to destabilise Middle East, according to Pentagon chief Leon Panetta.
Iran is intensifying a campaign to destabilise the Middle East by smuggling
anti-aircraft weapons to militant allies through its international
paramilitary force, according Leon Panetta, the outgoing US defence
secretary.
The Pentagon chief told The Wall Street Journal that Tehran's export of
so-called "manpads" -- anti-aircraft missiles that can be carried
by a single person - represents a dangerous escalation.
Yemen intercepted a boat carrying the weapons on Jan 23 with unspecified
assistance from the US, which had evidence that the missiles were supplied
by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They were believed to be en route
to Yemeni separatists fighting the US-backed central government.
American intelligence reports had previously indicated an increase in efforts
by Iran to smuggle the devices to radical Islamic factions in the region.
"There is no question when you start passing manpads around, that becomes
a threat--not just to military aircraft but to civilian aircraft," Mr
Panetta told the newspaper in an interview as he prepares to leave his post.
The Wall Street Journal said that Western officials have long worried about the spread of such weapons and the risk they pose to airline passengers as well as to military helicopters and jets.
There are also fears in Israel that Iran will try to ship "manpads" to Hamas radicals in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon or the government of embattled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad . With those missiles, radicals could be within range to shoot down Israeli aircraft.
Mr Panetta, who has headed the Pentagon for 19 months after serving as CIA director, is preparing to leave the administration. Chuck Hagel, the former Nebraska Republican senator who is President Barack Obama's nominee to replace him, endured a bruising confirmation hearing on Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal said that Western officials have long worried about the spread of such weapons and the risk they pose to airline passengers as well as to military helicopters and jets.
There are also fears in Israel that Iran will try to ship "manpads" to Hamas radicals in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon or the government of embattled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad . With those missiles, radicals could be within range to shoot down Israeli aircraft.
Mr Panetta, who has headed the Pentagon for 19 months after serving as CIA director, is preparing to leave the administration. Chuck Hagel, the former Nebraska Republican senator who is President Barack Obama's nominee to replace him, endured a bruising confirmation hearing on Thursday.
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