Thea Arbar, CNBC Indonesia
Saturday, 14/10/2023 07:45 WIB
Foto: (via REUTERS/RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY)
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The Palestinian militant group Hamas is likely to use weapons from North Korea (North Korea). This statement was made by experts after footage emerged of a Hamas troop carrying a rocket launcher which was thought to have come from Pyongyang.
The video, which was shared widely on social media, was recorded shortly after the deadly attacks on Israel began last Saturday.
A military and weapons blogger with the username War Noir said the rocket launcher held by one of the Hamas fighters came from North Korea. He conveyed this statement in a post on X’s social media.
“A recent video recorded today shows members of the Al-Qassam Brigades (HAMAS) in the Gaza Strip,” wrote War Noir on October 7, as quoted by Radio Free Asia (RFA), Wednesday (11/10/2023).
“One of the members was seen carrying an unusual F-7 HE-Frag rocket, originally produced in North Korea,” he said.
Experts say that Palestinians have historically used North Korean weapons, which may have been first purchased by Iran or Syria. The weapons were then smuggled into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
This method is usually done to avoid the Israeli-Egyptian embargo. For information, the embargo has been in effect since 2005.
“The Syrian people have a lot to do with Hezbollah and Hezbollah has a lot to do with Hamas,” said former intelligence officer at the US Defense Intelligence Agency, Bruce E. Bechtol Jr.
“Most of the trade that North Korea does with Hamas and Hezbollah are deals they made through the IRGC, Iran’s Republican Guard Corps,” he said.
Meanwhile, director of the Arms Research Services (ARES) intelligence consultancy NR Jenzen-Jones said that in its attacks on Israel, Hamas used weapons originating from various countries. Not just North Korea, but also the United States and the Soviet Union.
However, initial analysis of the images reviewed by the consultant shows a militant armed with an RPG-7 type recoilless weapon fired from the shoulder. It is equipped with F-7 series high explosive fragmentation ammunition (HE-FRAG), manufactured in North Korea.
Other images showed other Hamas troops using what appeared to be North Korean Type 58 self-loading rifles. The weapon is a derivative of the famous AK series.
“This has previously been documented in the region, including in Syria, Iraq and the Gaza Strip,” Jenzen-Jones said.
“North Korean weapons have previously been documented among illicit supplies provided by Iran to militant groups, and this is believed to be the main way North Korean weapons get into the hands of Palestinian militants,” he explained.
“North Korean weapons have previously been identified as being in the hands of militant factions Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other groups,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Video: North Korea Helps Hamas, Kim Jong Un’s Weapons Beat Israel
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2023-10-14 00:45:02
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