'Hezbollah, Iran providing weaponry to Assad'

Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi says "radical axis" becoming more actively involved in Assad's violent crackdown.

By YAAKOV KATZ
Syrian President Assad, Iranian President Ahmadinejad 311R (photo credit: Morteza Nikoubazl / Reuters)
Syrian President Assad, Iranian President Ahmadinejad 311R
(photo credit: Morteza Nikoubazl / Reuters)
Iran and Hezbollah are actively assisting Syrian President Bashar Assad and providing him with weaponry as part of an effort to ensure that he survives in the face of growing resistance and protests, head of Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi said on Wednesday.
Kochavi spoke at the graduation ceremony for IDF intelligence officers.
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“The radical axis is trying to retain its power and as time passes, Iran and Hezbollah increase their efforts to help the Assad regime survive by providing knowledge, weaponry and other capabilities,” Kochavi said.
The IDF intelligence chief said it was possible that in the long term the ongoing upheaval in the Middle East would have a positive outcome, but in the immediate term “the dangers are increasing.”
Kochavi’s comments came a day after Turkish customs officials intercepted four trucks suspected of carrying military equipment from Iran to Syria.
The governor of the Kilis province said the trucks were confiscated at the Oncupinar border crossing into Syria after police received information about their cargo, according to Dogan news agency.