Jerusalem – The Iranian Revolutionary Guards are investigating the circumstances surrounding a mysterious explosion that occurred last week, amid a military convoy carrying weapons apparently meant for Hezbollah.

The powerful explosion happened in the suburb of Khavarshahar near Tehran, causing the deaths of 15 people and wounding many others. The London Daily Telegraph reported over the weekend that the explosion took place on July 19, as the convoy was leaving a Revolutionary Guard weapons depot. According to the reports, the convoy was about to transfer a shipment of military equipment to Hezbollah when the explosion took place.

Revolutionary Guard commanders banned reports of the incident, although the explosion was heard throughout Tehran. The Iranian media has yet to report details of the incident.

“It was a massive explosion that was heard all over Tehran,” a Western source told the British newspaper. “Even though many people were killed, Revolutionary Guards are trying to conceal what really happened.”

The Daily Telegraph also reports that Iran has increased its weapons shipments to Hezbollah in preparation for a future confrontation with the West because of its nuclear program. Iran continues refusing to comply with Western demands for an end to the program.

Another report indicates the Revolutionary Guards are examining the possibility of sabotage. Several unexplained explosions have recently occurred in Iran, including one this past April at a mosque in the city of Shiraz while a military exhibition was underway. Another occurred last Nov. at a missile base, killing several dozen Iranian technicians.

Various strange incidents connected with senior officials in Iranian nuclear industries have also been noted. Who is behind them remains to be seen.

In January 2007, a senior scientist connected to the Iranian nuclear program was assassinated, reportedly by the Mossad. In the following month, Gen. Ali-Reza Asgari, a senior Iranian defense-establishment figure disappeared, and the Israeli intelligence agency likewise was implicated.

During the Nov. 13 incident, a series of explosions rocked an Iranian missile manufacturing facility south of Tehran The precise number of victims remains unknown, but reports referred to 100 injured and dead.

A year later, in Feb. 2008, an explosion took place in Tabriz, located north of Tehran. The Iranian explanation mentioned a weapons explosion or an explosion for construction purposes.

This past April’s explosion rocked Shiraz’ Shuhada Mosque during a military weapons exhibition, killing 13 and injuring more than 190. The Iranians accused the U.S. and U.K. of causing the explosions and arrested six suspects, claiming they had connections with terrorists who had executed the attack.

Israeli intelligence sources said the Mossad would not “waste” its operational capabilities in Iran for a weapons shipment to Hezbollah unless it included the introduction of a new weapons system, such as anti-aircraft missiles, into the arena.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008

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David Bedein
David Bedein is an MSW community organizer and an investigative journalist.   In 1987, Bedein established the Israel Resource News Agency at Beit Agron to accompany foreign journalists in their coverage of Israel, to balance the media lobbies established by the PLO and their allies.   Mr. Bedein has reported for news outlets such as CNN Radio, Makor Rishon, Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, BBC and The Jerusalem Post, For four years, Mr. Bedein acted as the Middle East correspondent for The Philadelphia Bulletin, writing 1,062 articles until the newspaper ceased operation in 2010. Bedein has covered breaking Middle East negotiations in Oslo, Ottawa, Shepherdstown, The Wye Plantation, Annapolis, Geneva, Nicosia, Washington, D.C., London, Bonn, and Vienna. Bedein has overseen investigative studies of the Palestinian Authority, the Expulsion Process from Gush Katif and Samaria, The Peres Center for Peace, Peace Now, The International Center for Economic Cooperation of Yossi Beilin, the ISM, Adalah, and the New Israel Fund.   Since 2005, Bedein has also served as Director of the Center for Near East Policy Research.   A focus of the center's investigations is The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In that context, Bedein authored Roadblock to Peace: How the UN Perpetuates the Arab-Israeli Conflict - UNRWA Policies Reconsidered, which caps Bedein's 28 years of investigations of UNRWA. The Center for Near East Policy Research has been instrumental in reaching elected officials, decision makers and journalists, commissioning studies, reports, news stories and films. In 2009, the center began decided to produce short movies, in addition to monographs, to film every aspect of UNRWA education in a clear and cogent fashion.   The center has so far produced seven short documentary pieces n UNRWA which have received international acclaim and recognition, showing how which UNRWA promotes anti-Semitism and incitement to violence in their education'   In sum, Bedein has pioneered The UNRWA Reform Initiative, a strategy which calls for donor nations to insist on reasonable reforms of UNRWA. Bedein and his team of experts provide timely briefings to members to legislative bodies world wide, bringing the results of his investigations to donor nations, while demanding reforms based on transparency, refugee resettlement and the demand that terrorists be removed from the UNRWA schools and UNRWA payroll.   Bedein's work can be found at: www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com and www.cfnepr.com. A new site,unrwa-monitor.com, will be launched very soon.