Special to WorldTribune.com

BAGHDAD — Iraq has intercepted an Iranian plane believed to contain
weapons for Syria.

Officials said the Iraq Air Force forced down an Iranian aircraft on
April 8. They said the Iranian plane was searched for weapons, but none were
found.

Iraq has been regarded by Arab and Western states as an ally of the
regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Iraq is said to have allowed
Iranian-sponsored Shi’ite fighters to enter Syria to help the Assad regime.

The Iraqi interception took place 10 days after another U.S. warning to
Baghdad. In late March, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Baghdad must block Iranian attempts to ferry weapons to Syria through Iraqi air space.

“We ordered a surprise landing of a transport plane, but we found no
banned items like weapons,” Iraqi government spokesman Ali Al Mussawi said.

Officials said the Iraqi government was alerted to the approach of an
Iranian aircraft destined for Damascus. They said the alert included an
assessment that the Iranian air transport contained components for the
Syrian military.

On April 7, the Iraq Hizbullah said one of its fighters was killed in
Syria. Hizbullah Brigades, not directly linked to Lebanon’s Hizbullah, said
the casualty, Afrad Muhsen Al Hemedawi, had been defending a Shi’ite shrine
in Syria when he was killed on March 30.

  Ali Al Mussawi, Bashar Assad, Hizbullah Brigades, Iraq blocks Iran transport plane carrying no weapons following U.S. warning