The before-and-after satellite images said it all: First, the mysterious cargo was there, and then — puff — it was gone, leaving behind just large black holes in the ground.
In between, Israeli planes flying in the dark of the desert night dropped just enough bombs on the Yarmouk military compound in Sudan to destroy the cargo, described in news accounts as “volatile.” The planes reportedly came and went undetected by Sudanese air defenses.
Jerusalem’s silence aside (officials there won’t confirm or deny Khartoum’s contention that the Israeli Defense Force was behind the Oct. 23 attack), the daring and plainly successful operation sent a strong message to Sudan and Iran, two of its most powerful enemies.
Whoever wins Tuesday’s election better take note, too.
Sudan denies that the shipping containers seen in that “before” image (published by George Clooney’s Satellite Sentinel Project) held Iranian arms. But the two rogue countries don’t hide their ties: On Wednesday, two Iranian warships left the Port of Sudan after a several-day visit, an obvious sign of a tightening military alliance.
That alliance, according to Israeli and other sources, includes Iranian financial aid to cash-strapped Sudan and some upgrading of its military assets. In exchange, Iran gets to use Sudan’s ports to strengthen its clients in the region, such as Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian factions in Gaza and the West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the beleaguered Assad regime in Syria.
International-law purists denounced the raid, but southern Israelis can sigh with relief: The IDF reportedly destroyed a sizable cargo destined for Gaza militants, including weapons that security officials call strategically significant.
Among the ordnance were rockets that can reach beyond the Israeli towns right next to Gaza (which have been increasingly attacked in the last few weeks) and hit major population centers further north. Also, shore-to-sea missiles and shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft guns that could change the balance of power between the IDF and the Gaza factions.
According to the Israeli military analyst Ron Ben Yishai, Iran has long used Sudan-controlled shipping routes to reach Gaza via Egyptian ports. But as Israeli intelligence discovered and destroyed the arms, the Iranians shifted to unloading their military wares at Yarmouk, smuggling them to Gaza through much longer (but safer) land routes. Now that option has also become perilous.
Sudanese officials scoffed at the attack as a political stunt as next February’s Israeli election approaches. In fact, the strike is important in itself and for the messages it sends.
To Sudan: Despite the distance, you won’t enjoy immunity as long as Iran uses your territory for arming Israel’s enemies. (That message may have gotten through: Al Hayat reports that Sudanese Foreign minister Ali Karti has warned colleagues that the alliance with Tehran puts Sudan at risk of being pulled into the Israel-Iran dispute and of having its “back exposed” in the Red Sea.)
To Gaza’s Palestinian factions, which in recent weeks have escalated their attacks on civilians in southern Israel: Certain types of arms won’t be tolerated.
To the whole region, a potent reminder: The Sudanese target was over 1,100 miles from Israel’s airport bases — some 200 miles farther than what Israeli planes must travel to hit Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Yes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s UN speech in September calmed fears that Israel planned an attack on Iran on the eve of next week’s US election.
But Iran, whose leaders have never hidden their desire to eliminate the Jewish state, remains a menace. And its nuclear program proceeds despite occasional setbacks.
So last week’s Sudan attack may also serve as a memo to all Americans who still believe that the tide of Mideast wars has receded.
Above all, it was fresh proof that, however far off Israel’s enemies, Jerusalem intends to continue with its unique nonproliferation program.
Twitter: @bennyavni