Iran weapons ship’ arrives in Israel

A ship allegedly carrying advanced
rockets from Iran to Gaza that was intercepted by
the Israeli navy was escorted into the Red Sea port
of Eilat on Saturday.
Israeli naval commandos seized the vessel on
Wednesday in the Red Sea between Eritrea and
Sudan, with the military saying it was carrying an
Iranian shipment of M-302 rockets destined for the
Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
The Panamanian-flagged Klos-C was escorted into
Eilat port by two Israeli warships.
Thousands of Israelis gathered on a hill overlooking
the port broke into applause when the ship came
into view.
“We will dismantle all the containers to verify if they
contain other weapons,” an army spokesman said,
adding that a news conference will be held at the
end of operations late on Monday.
Israeli radio said that ambassadors and military
attaches posted to Israel as well as “prominent
Israeli figures” would be invited to view the
weapons seized by the army.
This, the radio said, “will prove to the world that Iran
is providing weapons to terrorists active in the
Gaza Strip”.
Iran has flatly denied any involvement with the
shipment, which the Israeli army said was carrying
missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel.
At the time of the vessel’s capture on Wednesday,
military spokesman Brigadier General Motti Almoz
told army radio that dozens of the M-302 long-
range missiles were on board.
“From what we understand, it was carrying dozens
of M-302 long-range missiles which can reach 150
to 200 kilometres (90-125 miles). It may be
carrying other weapons as well, but we can only
know this when it reaches Eilat.
“There is clear and unequivocal information that
this (shipment) came from Iran,” Almoz said,
without elaborating.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
accused Israel of lying and noted that the
announcement of its capture coincided with a
speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu at the AIPAC pro-Israeli lobby in the
United States.
“An Iranian ship carrying arms for Gaza. Captured
just in time for annual AIPAC anti Iran campaign.
Amazing Coincidence! Or same failed lies,” Zarif
wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Netanyahu has been pressing the international
community to maintain crippling economic sanctions
on Iran over its nuclear drive, and used last week’s
visit to the US to push his case.
The United States said on Wednesday its
intelligence services and military worked with Israel
to track the ship.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said
Washington started to work with Israel through
intelligence and military channels and at the
national security adviser level as soon as it knew
the shipment was on the move.
World powers have eased the sanctions on Iran as
part of a landmark deal struck in November, under
which Iran undertook to curb its nuclear activities
for six month.
The United States, other Western powers and Israel
have long suspected Iran of using its nuclear
energy programme as a cover for developing
atomic weapons, a charge denied by Tehran.