ISRAEL/AT SEA: The Israeli army says it seized a ship that was carrying Iranian-supplied rockets intended for the Gaza Strip

Record ID: 398122

  • Title: ISRAEL/AT SEA: The Israeli army says it seized a ship that was carrying Iranian-supplied rockets intended for the Gaza Strip
  • Date: 5th March 2014
  • Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (MARCH 5, 2014) (REUTERS) MEDIA CREWS GATHERED AHEAD OF NEWS CONFERENCE ISRAELI ARMY SPOKESMAN PETER LERNER AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI ARMY SPOKESMAN PETER LERNER, SAYING: "In a complex, covert, intelligence-based mission, Israeli naval forces intercepted and boarded a civilian cargo vessel. The ship was carrying an Iranian shipment of advanc
  • Embargoed: 20th March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: At Sea, Israel
  • City:
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA1EOULCMX0JLUZ3UEWF5A1QLAV
  • Story Text: The Israeli navy seized a ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday (March 5) that was carrying dozens of advanced Iranian-supplied rockets made in Syria that were intended for Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, the military said.
    It said the Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel Klos-C was boarded in international waters without resistance from its 17-strong crew, and would be escorted to the Israeli port of Eilat within days.

    "In a complex, covert, intelligence-based mission, Israeli naval forces intercepted and boarded a civilian cargo vessel. The ship was carrying an Iranian shipment of advanced weapons. The operation was carried out in the rough seas, about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) off of the coast of Eilat," military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said of the seizure.
    Dozens of M302 rockets were found aboard the Klos-C, a weapon which could have struck deep into Israel from Gaza and would have significantly enhanced the firepower of the Palestinian enclave's Hamas rulers and other armed factions.

    "If they would have reached their destination, it would have meant millions of Israelis at the mercy of the terrorists in Gaza," said Lerner.
    Israeli Military footage showed the Israeli navy chief, Admiral Ram Rothberg, inspecting a rocket on the floor of a ship hold, with cement bags labeled "Made in Iran" in English next to it.
    Lerner said the rockets were flown from Syria to Iran, from which they were shipped first to Iraq and then toward Sudan. Had they reached the African coast, they would have probably been smuggled overland through Egypt to Gaza, he said.
    Iran had orchestrated the shipment, Lerner said, describing the process as months in the making.
    The maritime tracking site marinetraffic.com showed the last position of the Klos C as the Oman Gulf on Feb. 22.
    Lerner said the crew came from a number of different countries and there was no immediate indication that they knew the nature of their cargo.
    The disclosure came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in the United States to press his case for tougher international action against Iran over its disputed nuclear programme and support for Islamist guerrilla groups.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register