Israeli naval commandos storm arms ship from Iran bound for terrorists

Israeli naval commandos stormed a ship laden with arms. Obviously, knowing the arms were there required some very good intelligence, and the raid was well prepared. The Israeli commandos may well have been the somewhat shadowy and no longer very secret Shayetet 13. Of course nobody knows how many such ships get through undetected. It is not likely that the "ship was discovered during routine patrols conducted by the Navy" since there are many ships on the Mediterranean at any given time and they are not all raided. After intelligence told the Navy what ship to find, the navy "discovered" the ship. The ship, which sailed from Cyprus, must've gotten its cargo of arms from Iran either directly or after the arms had been delivered by a different ship from Iran to Cyprus.

 

Israeli commandos storm arms ship from Iran bound for Hezbollah
By Anshel Pfeffer, Amos Harel, and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents, and Reuters

 

Israeli special forces on Wednesday took control of an Iranian vessel carrying arms intended for Hezbollah in a daring pre-dawn raid not far from Cyprus.

 

The ship was believed to have set out from Iran and later docked in Yemen and Sudan before sailing through the Suez Canal. Its final destination was believed to be either Syria or Lebanon.

 

The Antigua-flagged ship was discovered during routine patrols conducted by the Navy, according to a communiquefrom the Israel Defense Forces Spokespersons Unit.

 

After soldiers boarded the freighter ship, they discovered a large cache of arms and ammunition which were concealed in order to appear to be of a commercial nature.

 

After the initial search on board the ship, the navy towed the freighter to Israel, where it conducted a thorough inspection of the cargo, the IDF said.

 

Intelligence agencies had surveilled the vessel for a number of days leading up to the raid. The decision to seize the ship was made following a recommendation by top IDF brass and was approved by the country's most senior echelon.

 

In addition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak were kept abreast of preparations for the raid over the course of a few days.

 

"There were Katyusha (rockets), whose purpose is to hit civilians," Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai told Army Radio.

 

He did not give any quantities, saying the ship was still being unloaded in Israel and voicing doubt its crew knew munitions were on aboard.

 

Asked if the weaponry had been earmarked for Hezbollah, Vilnai said: "Yes. It strengthens (the group) and improves its long-range firing capability into Israel."

 

Netanyahu released a statement Wednesday saying that the weapons found on board the ship were intended to harm Israel's cities and town. The premier hailed the IDF and the Navy for the operation.

 

Barak praised the capture of the ship. Barak congratulated IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Navy Commander Admiral Eliezer Marom for the ship's seizure.

 

"This is another success in the endless struggle against attempts to smuggle weapons and military equipment whose goal is to strengthen terrorist elements who threaten the security of Israel," the defense minister said. "I congratulate the IDF troops for the successful operation."

 

Following the raid, ministers in the diplomatic-security cabinet convened for a special session Wednesday morning, where they were given an intelligence and operational briefing on the details of the seizure.

 

Before the meeting, the ministers who were summoned were told that the discussion would focus on the latest developments related to the Palestinian Authority. The meeting though was devoted exclusively to the ship's capture.

 

From all indications, the operation was not brought for cabinet approval prior to its execution. Rather, it is likely that a small forum of a select number of ministers gave the go-ahead.

 

Foreign Ministry officials on Wednesday launched consultations to determine Israel's public relations stance in explaining the operation and its ramifications to diplomats and the foreign press.

 

Since the conclusion of Operation Cast Lead, last winter's three-week military offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, the Navy and the Israel Air Force have conducted routine and extensive patrols and reconnaissance in the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

 

The military seeks to intercept ships bearing arms intended for Hamas and Hezbollah. As part of these efforts, the Navy has deployed warships through the Suez Canal.

 

In January 2002, IDF special forces stormed the Karine-A freighter which was carrying 50 tons of weapons loaded on board. The vessel was spotted and intercepted while sailing across the Red Sea.

 

Israel believes the weapons on the ship were meant to be delivered to Palestinian rejectionist groups in the Gaza Strip.