JERUSALEM, Nov 4 — The Israeli navy intercepted a cargo ship carrying weapons some 160 km off the Israeli coast in the Mediterranen Sea and took it to a port in Israel, the military said today.
Unconfirmed Israeli media reports described the vessel as a container ship and said its cargo included missiles and other munitions from Iran destined for Syria or Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrilla group, which fought a 2006 war with Israel.
“During the night, the navy, performing routine checks, spotted a cargo vessel flying an Antiguan flag 100 miles from the Israeli coast,” a military spokeswoman said.
“They suspected it was carrying weapons, and after an initial inspection, munitions were found. The ship was taken to shore,” the spokeswoman said.
Military sources said the vessel was docked at Israel’s Mediterranean port of Ashdod, south of Tel Aviv.
Israel’s Channel 10 television said Israel had advance information about the vessel. Military sources said naval commandos stormed the ship in international waters.
Israeli officials have said Hezbollah has been rearming since the 2006 conflict, in which the group fired some 4,000 rockets into Israel.
Asked about the weaponry found on the ship, an Israeli defence official said: “It was bigger than small arms, but we’re not providing details at the moment.” — Reuters
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