Massive Arms Shipment Intended for Hezbollah Intercepted by Israel Navy
04 November 2009 , 10:04 IDF Spokesperson

For the video -
http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/09/11/0401.htm

On Tuesday (Nov. 3) an exceptionally large quantity of weapons, rockets, and
missiles was uncovered onboard a cargo vessel intercepted by the Israel Navy
Special Forces and brought to the Ashdod port.

Dozens of shipping containers found on the ship were carrying 500 tons of
weapons and ordnance disguised as civilian cargo among hundreds of other
containers onboard. The amount of weapons found is 10 times larger than the
Karin A ship intercepted in January 2002.

Israel Naval and Engineering Corps are unloading the containers and are
sorting through the various types of weaponry found onboard.

As part of the Israel Navy's routine activity to maintain security and
prevent arms smuggling, a force comprised of naval commandos, missile boats,
and intelligence and explosive experts intercepted a cargo vessel bearing
the name "Francop", which was flying an Antiguan flag.

The naval commando force boarded the vessel and conducted an initial search.
The search was conducted in accordance with the usual search protocols as
dictated by International Law. The Captain of the ship agreed to the search
and no force of any kind was used during the operation.

Following the initial search and after it became clear that the vessel was
carrying weapons, the vessel was directed by the Israel Navy to dock at an
Israel Navy base in Ashdod in for additional searches and a detailed
inspection of the hull's cargo.

The weapons found onboard the ship originate from Iran, and were intended to
reach the Hezbollah terror organization for use against the State of Israel
and its citizens. The weapons uncovered at sea last night constitute a harsh
violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1747 and 1701 that strictly
forbid Iran from exporting or trading any form of weapons.

President Shimon Peres said that, "Iran had promised it would not send
weapons, and broke international law. The importance of the ship's capture
is enormous and has political value as well. Therefore it is a political
event and the seizure is a military accomplishment."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the weapons found on board the ship
were intended to harm Israel's cities and towns. Moreover, he hailed the
operation congratulating the army the navy, and other security agencies
involved on the successful counterterrorist operation.

The Minister of Defense Ehud Barak praised the IDF for their outstanding
effort in combating weapon smuggling. "This is another success in the
struggle against attempts to smuggle weapons by terrorist organizations who
threaten the security of Israel," he said.

The Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai told Army Radio this morning that
"We must salute the intelligence community and the IDF for the operation.
Rarely is the public aware of the successful operations undertaken." He
added that the weapons were destined for Hezbollah and that Katyusha rockets
were amongst the weapons in the vessel.

The IDF wishes to emphasize that, "The Iranians continue to act deceptively
while blatantly ignoring and violating both International Law and UN
Security Council decisions. They relentlessly act under the guise and flags
of different countries in order to arm and encourage extremist factions that
strive to destabilize the Middle East and other regions."

Last night's operation was part of continuous overt and covert IDF
operations on various fronts, both near and far intended to maintain Israel's
security by preventing arms smuggling.