Israeli naval forces on Wednesday intercepted a shipment of medium-range missiles near Sudan that were headed for the Gaza Strip.
Special forces from the Shayetet 13 (Flotilla 13) unit overpowered the cargo vessel named the KLOS C - which is registered in Panama - in the early morning hours. A search aboard the vessel uncovered dozens of 302mm rockets, which are manufactured in Syria and were fired into Israel by Hezbollah during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. The rockets have a range of about 100 kilometers.
'We have conclusive evidence that there were rockets on board the ship, and we have proof and can say with certainty that Iran is behind this operation,' a senior Israel Defense Forces officer said.
This is not the first time Israel has seized a ship carrying a cargo of concealed weapons.
in March 2011 the ' Victoria,' a German-owned ship sailing under a Liberian flag, was intercepted and seized by Israeli special forces some 200 kilometers from the Israei coast. According to the IDF Spokesman, the ship, which started its voyage in Iran, was carrying several tons of concealed weapons destined for 'the use of terror organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.'
In 2009, after reportedly being tipped off by the U.S., Israel raided the ' Francop' off the coast of Cyprus and redirected it to the Ashdod port, where it unloaded 500 tons of weapons. The ship was allegedly en route from Iran to Hezbollah.
And perhaps the most famous such incident occured in 2003, when IDF forces seized the ' Karine A', a vessel carrying 50 tons of missiles, mortars, rifles and ammunition destined for Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
The ship' cargo including rockets and missiles that could have reached Ben-Gurion International Airport and major Israeli cities from PA territory. Both Iran and the PA denied any involvement.
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