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Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
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ShareMarch 27, 2009 7:47 PM
ABC News' Luis Martinez reports: Israel has conducted three military strikes against targets in Sudan since January in an effort to prevent what were believed to be Iranian weapons shipments from reaching Hamas in the Gaza Strip, ABC News has learned.
Earlier this week, CBSNews.com was the first to report that Israel had conducted an airstrike in January against a convoy carrying weapons north into Egypt to be smuggled into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
But actually, since January, Israel has conducted a total of three military strikes against smugglers transporting what were believed to be Iranian weapons shipments destined for Gaza, a U.S. official told ABC News.
The information matches recent reports from Sudanese officials of two airstrikes in the desert of eastern Sudan and the sinking of a ship in the Red Sea carrying weapons.
Jonathan Peled, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, would only say, "No comment," when contacted by ABC News on the matter.
Sudanese officials initially said this week that 39 people riding in 17 trucks were killed in a mid-January airstrike conducted by an unidentified aircraft in a desert area north of the Red Sea port of Port Sudan.
Today, a Sudanese Foreign Ministry representative said there were two separate bombing raids against smugglers in January and February. The Sudanese minister for highways was more specific, saying the airstrikes took place Jan. 27 and Feb. 11.
Arabic broadcaster Al-Jazeera also reported today a Sudanese official's claim that Israel had sunk a ship carrying weapons.
Israeli officials continue to refuse to confirm or deny the reports of airstrikes, but Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, “Israel hits every place it can in order to stop terror, near and far."
In January, the United States signed an agreement with Israel to stop arms smuggling into Gaza. At the time, Israel was conducting a military operation in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Hamas' firing of rockets on Israeli towns.
Shortly after the agreement was signed, the U.S. Navy twice boarded a Cypriot ship in the Red Sea that was traveling from Iran to Syria and believed to be carrying Iranian weapons bound for Hamas.
After the boardings were inconclusive, the United States asked Egypt and Cyprus to search the vessel when it made ports of call. Cypriot authorities ultimately found material that could be used to manufacture munitions, which they described as a violation of the U.N. ban on Iranian arms exports.
March 27, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (112)
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Isreal better protect itsself, they can not depend on Obama or Clinton
Posted by: Obama and his party of clowns | Mar 27, 2009 9:11:19 PM
Thus far Israel has devastated not just Gaza but prior to that Lebanon. Now, they're running into Sudan and bombing that sovereign country. Am I the only one that sees the pattern here and the fact that Israel is not being held to international law when they do these things?
Posted by: foxisms | Mar 27, 2009 9:17:26 PM
Triumph for Israel
Posted by: triumph | Mar 27, 2009 9:22:56 PM
President Bush said it and the Israelis prove it again."Our (good guys) Armed Forces have long arms that can reach out and touch them.(bad guys)"
Posted by: BunkieBandit | Mar 27, 2009 9:27:44 PM
"Isreal better protect itsself, they can not depend on Obama or Clinton"________________I second that notion. Israel is in trouble and so is America for that matter.
Posted by: qtsforme | Mar 27, 2009 9:29:52 PM
Stupid fools. Is everyone still trying to blow up the world? Well, you're succeeding at getting your wish.
Posted by: Mister X | Mar 27, 2009 9:31:08 PM
Laws only apply to poor and the weak.
Posted by: hotspur | Mar 27, 2009 9:32:17 PM
someone should do something to stop the sale of white phosphorus from the united states to israel.
i would like some proof that the people they killed were smugglers.......israrel is known for hiding secrets and telling lies and moaning and groaning about everything else.
Posted by: Jack Jett | Mar 27, 2009 9:39:53 PM
It's amazing how we can weave the definition of terror to suit our own needs. A little bit of introspection would in fact reveal that a lot of those who point fingers at terrorists are in fact terrorists themselves. Let's not use the term war to immediately distance ourselves from terrorism - let's however examine why we started a war in the first place e.g. to conquer more land for "our people". Aren't the people who have their land conquered in a position to define you as a terrorist?
Posted by: Larry | Mar 27, 2009 10:01:39 PM
If Israel takes out terrorist targets in Sudan, all the better. Sudan is a failed state and a recruitment ground for Al Queda.
I don't care what Al Jazeera reports. It has shown itself to be the mouthpiece for Al Queda and are about as "fair and balanced" as Fox News - which is the mouthpiece for the extremist right wing in America.
Posted by: marcos | Mar 27, 2009 10:07:39 PM
What would you rather be: A Palestinian in an Israeli jail or a Jewish person in a Palestinian jail? The treatment by the Israelis on all levels has always been more humane. This is why the enenies of Israel are quick to surrender. They know that history has shown the Jewish people do not prefer violence. Many Palestianians and Muslims beleive they are at eternal war with Israel and the West and will be exalted by killing Jews and Christians. This will all end dramatically with the return of Christ.
Posted by: Mark | Mar 27, 2009 10:08:29 PM
US must disassociate from Israel for the national interest immediately, or we are going to be drown by such a rogue state.
Posted by: Joe | Mar 27, 2009 10:33:55 PM
The Black Africans have been persecuted mercilessly by the Arab Africans. This is the reason there are so many civil wars in Africa. The Arab(Muslim) Africans consider the Black(non-Muslim)Africans to be infidels and believe it is alright to destroy them. Even Africa is a house divided.
Posted by: Mark | Mar 27, 2009 10:38:15 PM
Where is the proof that there were any weapons being smuggled and where is the proof that they were Iranian?
Posted by: shivadas | Mar 27, 2009 10:43:58 PM
Nations have intelligence agencies because proof is almost never shown to the public and if it were there is no credible international court to bring it before. Because rank and file people don't see the intelligence we can never be sure the proof exists. This is a nasty situation that forces countries like Israel to act before it is too late.
Posted by: Mark | Mar 27, 2009 10:58:44 PM
Isreal will have her land!
from the Nile to the Euphrates
Posted by: King David | Mar 27, 2009 11:02:18 PM
I am sure world opinion is against this, so it must be the right thing for Israel to do. When will the Arabs realize that Israels God is the real God and the Arabs god is just that a small g god! Go Israel!
Posted by: Bob | Mar 27, 2009 11:04:25 PM
Two points
Sudanese kill Africans in Darfur and have other ambitions towards Africa. Africans supporting Sudanese is like Jews supporting NAZIs.
The Rockets that go into Israel are from Iran and Iran's proxy wars should be stopped or there will not be peace in the middle east or the world.
Posted by: Navin | Mar 27, 2009 11:04:32 PM
Israel is excellent in getting information and acting on it. They cannot rely on Obama or Clinton for help. The bottom line is that Obama is too busy shoving socialism down the throat of America to even care. Also his childish You Tube video foreign policy is a joke. The international community is realizing, very quickly, that Obama is grossly incompetent.
Posted by: Malcom Z. | Mar 27, 2009 11:05:43 PM
Kill all terrorists everywhere, irregardless of color or country.
Posted by: Alan | Mar 27, 2009 11:10:00 PM
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