Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Ship with weapons bound for Gaza intercepted in the Mediterranean

From CNN

Israeli commandos intercepted a ship in the Mediterranean Sea Tuesday and found weapons bound for Gaza militants, according to the Israeli government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the weapons came from Iran. He insisted the cargo vessel was overtaken in accordance with international conventions, and said he gave the order to board the ship on the "solid basis" that the arms on the ship that were "meant to target Israel."

The cargo vessel "Victoria" -- flying under a Liberian flag -- was stopped about 200 miles west of Israel's coast. The vessel was on its way from the port of Mircin in Turkey to the port of Alexandria in Egypt.

According to the Jerusalem Post

The Victoria cargo ship was suspected of carrying anti-ship missiles that would have impaired the Israel Navy's freedom of operations in the Mediterranean Sea, according to Defense Minister Ehud Barak

Netanyahu said that more information about the ship and what it was carrying would be released tomorrow.

"The seizure was made at sea according to international laws. We updated all the relevant countries and the international community," he added.


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The next "freedom" flotilla will be leaving for Gaza in late May. The interception of the "Victoria" makes it abundantly clear why these "peace activists" are trying so hard to open the shipping lanes to Gaza. Its never been about bringing in humanitarean aid.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The "humanitarian aid" aboard the Victoria included:

60 and 120 mm mortar shells, and C-704 anti-ship missiles.