U.S. thwarted weapons delivery

WASHINGTON – The United States blocked an Iranian cargo plane’s flight to Syria last month after intelligence analysts concluded it was carrying sophisticated missiles and launchers to resupply Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, two U.S. intelligence officials say.

Eight days after Hezbollah’s war with Israel began, U.S. diplomats persuaded Turkey and Iraq to deny the plane permission to cross their territory to Damascus, a transfer point for arms to Hezbollah, the officials said.

The episode was detailed by one U.S. intelligence official who saw a report on the incident. It was confirmed by a U.S. official from a second intelligence agency and by a diplomat with a foreign government. They did not want their names used, because they were not authorized to discuss the incident.

Israel and President Bush have accused the Shiite-dominated government of Iran, Hezbollah’s primary supplier, of shipping the Shiite militia weapons by way of Syria.

The Iraq and Turkish governments would not discuss the incident. Iran’s United Nations mission denied trying to send Hezbollah weapons. The intelligence officials did not provide evidence to corroborate the sequence of events. Their account could not be independently verified.