(Dec 9 2012) The Tehran-Hamas Arms Highway
english.al-akhbar.com/node/14300
“Of course, the visits were not limited to Hamas members. Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard regularly visited Gaza to learn about the military nature of the Strip and underground ammunition storage capabilities used by the Palestinians.”
“Following the visits of the Revolutionary Guard and close inspection of Qassam Brigades’ needs, another phase of the relationship began. It centered on how to smuggle weapons to to the besieged Gaza Strip.”
“Since the Iranians are practical, they said that this increased the threat of exposure, so they built local factories to build the rockets inside Gaza instead of smuggling them.The revolutionary guards transported the weapons to Syria, which also opened its factories to Hamas. The next stop was Sudan, then to the Sinai desert, where Hezbollah took care of getting the weapons into the Strip.”
“The only way to send in the Fajr 5 rockets was through the tunnels, so they were taken apart to be reassembled on the other side. Since the Iranians are practical, they said that this increased the threat of exposure, so they built local factories to build the rockets inside Gaza instead of smuggling them.”
“The M-75 rockets launched at Tel Aviv last month – and unveiled to the public for the first time in the recent operation Stones of Sijjil (baked clay) – were the local version of the Fajr 5.”
“When we began developing mid-range and long-range missiles, we undoubtedly benefited from Fajr 5 technology. We went to our friends who were experienced in producing such rockets,” maintained a high ranking Hamas official.”
“Fajr 5 rockets were sent to us from Iran, and we made use of their technology and developed it based on our previous experience and the geography of the Strip,” he explained.”
“The Iranians were amazed because they did not expect the residents of a besieged Strip to be able to develop them with such efficacy,” another Hamas official said.”