According to a Western source quoted by the pan-Arab channel al-Hadath, Iran and Hezbollah have modified their arms trafficking strategies to Lebanon, turning exclusively to the sea.
“Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the restrictions at Beirut’s airport, Hezbollah has been using the sea to transport weapons,” said this source, who considers this new form of trafficking to be “a dangerous turning point threatening the security of Lebanon and international investments in the country.”
The same source stated that “two specialized units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps oversee the new maritime route to Lebanon: Units 190 and 700. 'Shahriari' (the full name was not specified by the channel) leads Unit 190, while 'Gal First' heads Unit 700.”
“Hezbollah still maintains some control over the port of Beirut, where it acts freely thanks to collaborators within customs and the port’s control mechanisms,” states the source, adding that Wafiq Safa, Hezbollah’s head of security, manages the network of collaborators who facilitate the trafficking of military equipment and weapons at the port of Beirut.
According to the source, weapons trafficking by Hezbollah, which had been taking place for a long time via the capital’s port, led to the disaster on August 4, 2020, when several hundred tons of ammonium nitrate exploded, devastating several surrounding neighborhoods.
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