Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad supplied Kurdish militias with weapons seized from Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of a broader effort aimed at increasing pressure on Iran, according to a report published by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
The newspaper reported that the programme formed part of a wider plan intended to weaken the Iranian regime. According to the report, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was also involved in the initiative, although US President Donald Trump later halted the plan following pressure from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Kurdish groups received financial assistance, vehicles and a range of military equipment, including light weapons, anti-tank missiles, hand grenades and mortars.
The report said some of the weapons supplied had been seized by Israeli forces during military operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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The newspaper linked the programme to broader efforts by Israel and the United States to support anti-Iranian activities in the region.
The report follows comments attributed to Trump during a phone interview with Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst on April 5.
According to Yingst, Trump said the United States had transferred weapons through Kurdish intermediaries with the intention of supporting anti-government elements in Iran.
“We sent them a lot of weapons. We sent them through the Kurds.”
Yingst said Trump believed the weapons never reached their intended recipients and instead remained in Kurdish hands.
The report also referenced earlier coverage by CNN, which said US support for Kurdish groups was intended to increase pressure on Iranian authorities and encourage domestic unrest.
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