Israeli defence officials say they have intercepted a ship carrying Iranian weapons to Gaza. The ship, which was Panamanian-flagged, was intercepted by the Israeli Defence Forces earlier today in the Red Sea.
The BBC reports that “dozens of rockets” were found on board, including Syrian-made M-302s.
The ship is now being taken to Israeli shores, but Lt Col Peter Lerner said the crew were not suspects and were unaware of their cargo.
Israel has previously accused Iran of arming Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
ABC also report that Lt Col Lerner said that M-302 rockets have a range of up to 100 miles, and would have significantly increased Hamas’ ability to inflict damage on Israel.
The ship was destined for Sudan, where the cargo would have been moved across land through Egypt and into Gaza.
Israel has previously intercepted ships carrying weapons enemy groups. Three years ago, they seized a vessel carrying a large quantity of Iranian weapons, including land-to-sea missiles.
In 2009, they captured hundreds of tons of weapons after taking control of an Iranian ship off the coast of Cyprus. The weapons included mortars, grenades, missiles, rockets, and anti-tank weapons.
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