Iran’s terrorist infrastructure in the Sinai

With Egypt in turmoil, Iran is wasting no time in developing its weapons smuggling infrastructure in the Sinai Peninsula, according to Israeli defense officials, the Jerusalem Postreports.

“Iran wants to take advantage of the current anarchy in Egypt and establish a stronger foothold in Gaza,” a senior defense official said. “They are building new capabilities, upgrading smuggling mechanisms and studying the new military presence there to see how it will affect them.”

Since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007, Iran’s proxy has bombarded southern Israel with rockets and small missiles. With the demise of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, Israel now fears that the whole Sinai border could become a launch pad for similar projectiles endangering the southern Israeli port city of Eilat.

For the past 30 years of Mubarak’s reign, Israel’s southern border with Egypt was a non-threat. But now, just weeks after his ouster, the 240-kilometer-long border is another worry for Israel in its battle for survival.