Excerpts: Qatari strategic shareholders in Syrian bank. Iran smuggling arms
to Syria, Hizbullah May 31, 2012

+++SOURCE: The Syria Report 30 May '12: "(Syria International Islamic Bank)
SIIB under Sanctions from the US Treasury"
SUBJECT: SIIB 'Qatari strategic sharehoders'
QUOTE: SIIB an institution with Qatar strategic shareholders... assets jump
85 percent in last quarter alone . . .sanctioned by U.S. Treasury"
TEXT:Syria International Islamic Bank, an institution with Qatari strategic
shareholders and that saw its assets jump 85 percent in the last quarter
alone, was added to a list of companies under sanctions by the US Treasury

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 31 May '12:"Report: Iran Smuggling Arms to
Syria, Hizbullah through Passenger Jets"
SUBJECT: Iran smuggling arms to Syria,Hizbullah

QUOTE:" Iran is using commercial aircraft to smuggle weapons and explosives
to Syria and Hizbullah in Lebanon"

FULL TEXT:Iran is using commercial aircraft to smuggle weapons and
explosives to Syria and Hizbullah in Lebanon, the German broadcaster ZDF
reported Wednesday.

Citing Western security sources, ZDF said that Iran Air and Yas Air have
repeatedly used aircraft designated as passenger planes to transport weapons
to the Assad regime and Hizbullah.

The mastermind behind the operation is Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which
supports the regime of President Bashar Assad and the Lebanese party, the
sources told ZDF.

According to the broadcaster, Turkish security officials found weapons and
explosives on board a Yas Air passenger jet in March last year.

The freight was allegedly being shipped to Damascus.

Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported on Monday[29 May] that a senior
commander in the Revolutionary Guards has admitted that Iranian forces are
operating in Syria in support of the regime.

Ismail Gha'ani, the deputy head of Iran's Quds force, the arm of the
Revolutionary Guards tasked with overseas operations, said in an interview
with the semi-official Isna news agency: "If the Islamic republic was not
present in Syria, the massacre of people would have happened on a much
larger scale."

Isna published the interview at the weekend but subsequently removed it from
its website.
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Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA