Iran Uses Earthquake Relief Mission to Fly Weapons to Syria

Destruction following the Feb. 6 earthquakes in the countryside of Idlib Governorate, northwestern Syria (Reuters)
Destruction following the Feb. 6 earthquakes in the countryside of Idlib Governorate, northwestern Syria (Reuters)
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Iran Uses Earthquake Relief Mission to Fly Weapons to Syria

Destruction following the Feb. 6 earthquakes in the countryside of Idlib Governorate, northwestern Syria (Reuters)
Destruction following the Feb. 6 earthquakes in the countryside of Idlib Governorate, northwestern Syria (Reuters)

Iran used earthquake relief flights to bring weapons and military equipment into its strategic ally Syria, nine Syrian, Iranian, Israeli, and Western sources said.

The sources told Reuters that the goal was to buttress Iran's defenses against Israel in Syria and to strengthen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Reuters is the first to report this development.

After the Feb. 6 earthquakes in northern Syria and Turkiye, the sources said hundreds of flights from Iran began landing in Aleppo, Damascus, and Latakia airports bringing supplies, which went on for seven weeks.

The sources said two regional sources and a Western intelligence source said the supplies included advanced communications equipment, radar batteries, and spare parts required for a planned upgrade of Syria's Iran-provided air defense system in its civil war.

Reuters spoke to Western intelligence officials, sources close to the Iranian and Israeli leaders, a Syrian military defector, and a serving Syrian officer about the flights for this article.

When asked if Iran had used humanitarian relief planes after the earthquakes to move military equipment to Syria to enhance its network and help Assad, Iran's mission to the UN in New York said: "That's not true."

Regional sources said Israel quickly became aware of the flow of weapons into Syria and mounted an aggressive campaign to counter it.

The former head of research in the Israeli army and ex-general director of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, Brigadier General Yossi Kuperwasser, said Israeli air strikes against the shipments relied on intelligence so specific that Israel's military knew which truck in a long convoy to target.

- "Significant Moves"

An Israeli defense official, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "Under the guise of shipments of earthquake aid to Syria, Israel has seen significant movements of military equipment from Iran, mainly transported in parts."

He said the aid was mainly delivered to Syria's northern Aleppo airport.

The official indicated that the shipments were organized by the Unit 18000 Syrian division of the Quds Force, the foreign espionage and paramilitary arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, led by Hassan Mehdoui.

The Quds Force's Transport Unit 190, led by Bahanem Shahariri, handled ground transportation.

Syrian military defector Colonel Abduljabbar Akaidi, who retains army contacts, indicated that Israel's strikes also targeted a meeting of commanders of Iranian militias and shipments of electronic chips to upgrade weapons systems.

A regional source stated that Israel bombed Aleppo's runway just hours after two Iranian cargo planes had landed with arms shipments under the pretext of aid relief, which was confirmed by two other Western intelligence sources.

Head of al-Quds Force Brigadier General Esmail Qaani was the first foreign official to set foot in Syria's quake zone a few days before Assad himself arrived.

In a humanitarian catastrophe, UN relief planes can seek landing rights from local authorities, and humanitarian goods are exempt from sanctions.

Syrian authorities have granted landing rights to direct flights from Russia and Iran.

A regional source close to Iran's clerical leadership said the quake was a sad disaster, but at the same time, "it was God's help to us to help our brothers in Syria fight against their enemies. Loads of weapons were sent to Syria immediately."

Israel has for years carried out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran's influence has grown since it began supporting Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.

A Syrian army officer who asked not to be named said the Israelis were stepping up efforts to defeat Iran in Syria.

"Why now? Simply because they have information that something is being developed quickly. They must stop it and hit it to slow it. The quake created the right conditions. The chaos that ensued allowed Iranian jets to land with ease," he said.

A regional security source and two Western intelligence sources said that a radar station used for drones was also hit on Apr. 3.

"We believe that Iranian militias have transferred huge quantities of ammunition – they have restocked quantities lost in previous Israeli drone strikes," a Western intelligence source said, referring to Iranian flights since the Feb. 6 earthquakes.



Elon Musk Holds Unprecedented Pentagon Meeting, Wants Leakers Prosecuted

 Elon Musk and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laugh at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, US, March 21, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a video. (Reuters)
Elon Musk and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laugh at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, US, March 21, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a video. (Reuters)
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Elon Musk Holds Unprecedented Pentagon Meeting, Wants Leakers Prosecuted

 Elon Musk and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laugh at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, US, March 21, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a video. (Reuters)
Elon Musk and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laugh at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, US, March 21, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a video. (Reuters)

Billionaire Elon Musk took his campaign to cut the US federal government into uncharted waters on Friday, holding an unprecedented top-level meeting at the Pentagon and calling for the prosecution of any Defense Department officials leaking false information about his visit.

Musk met US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for 80 minutes in his first such talks at the Pentagon, which is responsible for a large chunk of federal government spending. It was unclear whether US generals joined that meeting virtually.

The New York Times reported that Musk would be briefed on secret war plans for China, something Musk, Trump and others denied. Musk called the report "pure propaganda" and urged legal action against leakers.

"I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found," he wrote on X before the Hegseth meeting.

President Donald Trump, who has not yet visited the Pentagon in his second term as president, also denied the story. "China will not even be mentioned or discussed," he said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday about the meeting. Later he told reporters the Pentagon meeting was to address costs.

"Elon was over there to address costs – DOGE – a thing called DOGE, which you have heard about," Trump, referring to Musk's Department of Government Efficiency

Access to a closely guarded military plan would mark a sharp expansion of Musk's role as the Trump adviser who is spearheading efforts to cut US government spending.

It would also fuel questions about conflicts of interest for Musk, who as the head of Tesla and SpaceX also has business interests in China.

The White House has previously said Musk will recuse himself if any conflicts of interest arise between his business dealings and his role in cutting federal government spending.

Musk arrived in a motorcade at the Pentagon on Friday morning and quickly moved upstairs to meet Hegseth who said on X the talks would focus on "innovation, efficiencies & smarter production."

As he departed, Musk was seen joking with Hegseth, and said the meeting went well.

"If there's anything I can do to be helpful, I would like us to have a good outcome here," Musk said as he departed.

Musk's businesses Starlink and SpaceX have a number of Pentagon contracts, raising questions about conflicts of interest as he advocates for innovation and re-prioritization of Pentagon spending to find efficiencies.

Last week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said she had ordered an investigation into leaks from inside the intelligence community and is also probing internal chat rooms for any misconduct by employees.

During Trump's first term, his administration referred more media leaks for criminal investigation each year than in any of the previous 15 years, according to records released in 2021 by the Justice Department to the independent watchdog group, Project on Government Oversight, in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.