Turkey has thwarted an Iranian weapons shipment meant for Hezbollah three months ago, Haaretz reported on Thursday with reference to a German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, quoting "Western diplomats."
According to this report, on April 30, Turkish authorities stopped a truck containing a large amount of weapons in the city of Kilis near Turkey's border with Syria.
The shipment was supposed to be transferred from Iran via Turkey to Syria, where it was supposed to reach the hands of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Turkish officials refused to comment on the report.
In March, media reported about the arrest of several vessels and aircraft belonging to Iran.
On March 31, Turkey informed the United Nations Security Council that it seized the cargo carried on board of a cargo aircraft en route from Iran to Syria. This was the second Iranian aircraft that has been delayed by Turkey in an attempt to search for the possible presence of prohibited materials and equipment on board.
On March 15, the Israeli Navy intercepted a Victoria ship in the Mediterranean en route from Turkey to Egypt carrying a large shipment of weapons on March 15. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that weapons were of Iranian origin and destined for militants in the Gaza Strip.
Later, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi vehemently refuted Israel's statements.
Media also spread information about the confiscation by the border authorities of South Korea and Singapore of cargoes containing suspicious nuclear materials and weapons destined for Iran in March.
Two batches of contraband materials were detained at the Seoul airport in December and at the Singapore port in September 2010. The cargo also included more than 400 suspicious vessels with radioactive raw materials, and aluminum powder, which could be used to create nuclear warheads.
The Nigerian secret service seized three containers with rockets, hand grenades, ammunition and other weapons in the port of Lagos in October 2010. The containers were shipped from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Dispatcher later sought to have the containers were re-loaded and shipped to the Gambia. Iran stated that the weapons were sent by a private company.
Presumably, the final destinations of the weapons were to be Hamas and Hezbollah.