Mahan Air. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon sent a letter on Monday to the UN Security Council revealing newly released intelligence indicating that Tehran is transporting arms and ammunition to terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon via civilian flights.

“Iran is using airlines such as ‘Mahan Air,’ to supply Hezbollah with the capacity to enhance its missile arsenal. The arms and related materials are packed in suitcases by the Quds Force in Iran and transferred directly to Hezbollah operatives,” Danon wrote to Security Council members.

Danon added that the arms are either flown by “commercial flights to Beirut” or flown to Damascus “and transferred by land” to Hezbollah.

The Israeli UN envoy stated that these actions blatantly violate “numerous Security Council resolutions,” including Resolution 2231, which put restrictions on Iran following the 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers, and Resolution 1701, which put in place the ceasefire ending the Second Lebanon War with Hezbollah in 2006.

In July, Danon told the Security Council that Hezbollah possesses nearly 17 times more missiles than it did 10 years ago. According to Danon, Hezbollah now has about 120,000 missiles in its arsenal, compared to about 7,000 in 2006.