Official: Iran training Gaza terrorists

TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have trained in Iran and learned how to operate sophisticated anti-tank missiles, an Israeli defense official said.

The unidentified official told The Jerusalem Post the army estimates Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza have in their possession advanced Russian-made missiles capable of penetrating tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Since the end of the 2008 Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, terror groups have increased their stockpiles of weapons the official told the newspaper.

"Since then, the groups have significantly increased the stockpile and have also sent specific terrorists to Iran for extensive training where they became anti-tank missile experts," the official said.

The officials said Hamas obtains the anti-tank missiles either directly from Russia or Syria and smuggles them into Gaza via tunnels, the newspaper said.

"The Gaza Strip is completely different today than what it was almost three years ago. The amounts of weaponry are significantly higher as well as the type of weaponry and its sophistication," the official said.