Passenger Planes Could be Downed by Hezbollah-Supplied Missiles to Polisario

The missiles supplied by Iran through its proxy Hezbollah to the Polisario separatists could take down commercial aircraft, military expert Dore Gold said.

“Morocco now has documentation of arms deliveries that were made by Hezbollah to the Polisario. These included SAM-9 and SAM-11 surface-to-air missiles, and not just the older-generation SAM-7 (Strela) missiles that have previously proliferated throughout the Middle East,” said Dore Gold of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Morocco has cut its diplomatic ties with Iran which facilitated, through its embassy in Algiers, an alliance between Hezbollah and the Polisario.

“Iran used its embassy in Algeria to advance its aims, making it a conduit for the supply of weapons and financial aid,” said the Israeli expert, adding that the Iranians utilized their traditional proxy, Hezbollah, for this operation.

“Hezbollah is a critical arm for Iran in the Middle East since their operatives speak Arabic, as opposed to Farsi (Persian), the language spoken in Iran,” he said.

“One of the key figures at the nexus of the Iranian-Polisario relationship is Iran’s cultural attaché in its embassy in Algiers, Amir Mousavi,” he said.

He then warned of the hegemonic goals of Iran in North Africa where it sought to strengthen its foothold in Algeria and Mauritania.