White House Denies North Korea-Hamas Weapons Link Amidst Growing Concerns
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| The National Intelligence Service released photos of North Korean weapon parts on the 8th, stating, “We assess the same,” in response to the Voice of America (VOA) report that the Palestinian armed group Hamas is using North Korean weapons./ Provided by the National Intelligence Service·Yonhap News |
The White House in the U.S. stated on the 10th (local time) that it was unaware of any military cooperation between North Korea and the Palestinian armed group Hamas.
This differs from the stance of the National Intelligence Service, which confirmed the Voice of America (VOA) report on the 8th that the fuse (explosive device of a shell) part of the F-7 rocket used by Hamas appears to be from North Korea, drawing attention to the background of this discrepancy.
John Kirby, the Strategic Communications Coordinator for the White House National Security Council (NSC), addressed a question regarding the U.S.’s stance on the report of Hamas using North Korean weapons in an attack on Israel. During the briefing, Kirby revealed that there have been no observed indications of military cooperation between Hamas and North Korea and that no evidence is currently available to confirm any such collaboration.
In a departure from the stance of the National Intelligence Service, which had corroborated the VOA report, it was stated that there is an ongoing effort to gather and compile definitive evidence regarding the extent and timing of North Korea’s alleged provision of weapons to entities such as Hamas.
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According to VOA, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also report that Hamas is using North Korean-made weapons.
Lieutenant Colonel Idan Sharon Kettler, the deputy commander of the Israel Army’s enemy equipment collection unit, reported that they have identified the use of North Korean parts in rockets they discovered, including those produced in the Gaza Strip or Iran, such as the RPG (rocket-propelled grenade)-7. He revealed that the RPG uses a superior North Korean rocket engine capable of penetrating medium armored vehicles.
Therefore, Kirby’s comments can be interpreted as a denial that North Korea is directly trading weapons with Hamas.
However, it does not deny the possibility that the supply of North Korean rocket parts not only to Hamas but also to Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and other Shia armed groups was carried out through Iran, which supports them.
Israeli human rights activist attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner told VOA that North Korea “knows its weapons go to Iran, and Iran gives the weapons to Hamas” and stated that the North Korean regime has never warned Iran not to send weapons to Hamas.
She explained that North Korean weapons purchased by Iran and transferred to Sudan are transported by truck to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and supplied to Hamas through tunnels near the Rafah border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
By. Man Joo Ha
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