Special to WorldTribune.com
LONDON — Libya has in effect become the main arms supplier of Hamas.

Western intelligence sources said the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip has
received a huge amount of missiles, rockets and other weapons from Libya
since June. They said the weapons taken from the military warehouses of
the former regime of Col. Moammar Gadhafi have allowed Hamas to reduce its
dependency on Iran.

“Right now, Hamas is getting everything it wants from Libya and in much
larger quantities than Iran had supplied,” an intelligence source said.

The sources said the arms flow began in eastern Libya and moved through
Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula toward the Gaza Strip. They said Egypt’s new
military regime has done little to stop the flow of missiles and rockets to
Hamas.

“The only thing the new regime cares about is whether Hamas will make
trouble in the African mainland [of Egypt],” the source said. “Otherwise,
there are virtually no restrictions.”

The sources said the Hamas arms procurement has been the chief aim of
the regime, particularly its military. They said Hamas military chief Ahmed
Jabari and his deputy, Mohammed Deif, have been responsible for the effort.

In some cases, the sources said, Egyptian troops have returned captured
convoys of weapons to smugglers in the Sinai. They said Egypt has entered a
de facto strategic alliance in cooperation with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Hamas has eyed Egypt as an alternative to its headquarters in Damascus,
Syria. The sources said the military regime in Cairo has allowed Hamas
leaders to freely visit Egypt but withheld approval for a permanent base.

“Hamas knows that it will eventually have to resume its dependency on
Iran, but the Libyan arms have given Hamas much greater room for maneuver
with Egypt and other Sunni countries,” the source said.

  Gaza Strip, Hamas said to be getting weapons from Libya with ‘virtually no restrictions’, Libyan rebels, Moammar Gadhafi, Sinai Peninsula, terrorism