WikiLeaks: Iran's influence spreads like cancer

Mubarak warns that Iran, Hizbullah attempting to "stand up a cell within Egypt," recruiting Sinai Beduin to smuggle weapons into Gaza.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

DECEMBER 17, 2010 01:57

Gaza smuggling tunnel 311 (photo credit: Ashley Bates) — Gaza smuggling tunnel 311

(photo credit: Ashley Bates)

Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman told US officials last year that Iran was recruiting Sinai Beduin to help smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip, a US State Department cable released by WikiLeaks was reported Thursday as saying.

According to the cable cited by Reuters, Suleiman “expressed concern over Hizbullah’s first attempt to stand up a cell within Egypt, and noted to us that Iran was also trying to recruit support from the Sinai Bedouins, he claimed, in order to facilitate arms smuggling to Gaza.”

The cable said the US and Egypt had differing perceptions of “the Iranian threat.”

According to the leaked document, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak saw Iran’s nuclear program as a “long term” threat, but was more concerned with other aspects of the Iranian threat.

“What has seized his immediate attention are Iran’s non-nuclear destabilizing actions such as support for Hamas, media attacks, weapons and illicit funds smuggling, all of which add up in his mind to ‘Iranian influence spreading like a cancer from the GCC (Gulf Arab states) to Morocco,’” it said.