They Thought No One Was Looking - IDF intercepts ship with arms bound for Gaza from Turkey, Syria

IDF intercepts ship with arms bound for Gaza from Turkey, Syria « Hot Air

POSTED AT 10:12 AM ON MARCH 15, 2011 BY ED MORRISSEY

Not for the first time, the IDF intercepted a ship attempting to run the Gaza blockade, this time apparently without getting attacked after boarding the vessel. Unlike last May, this ship was flagged as Liberian rather than Turkish, but the ship last sailed from Mercen in Turkey. The ship contained “dozens of tons” of arms, apparently made in Iran (via Carl in Jerusalem):

The IDF seized a freighter ship with dozens of tons of weaponry from Iran headed for Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

The ship, known as Victoria, was flying a Liberian flag, and was seized by the navy in the Mediterranean Sea, 200 miles off of Israel’s coast.

The Victoria was boarded by commandos from the Israeli Navy’s Flotilla 13, also known as the Shayetet, and is expected to arrive in the Ashdod port on Tuesday evening.

An initial inspection of the cargo revealed the ship was carrying weapons. The exact amount is to be determined.

The crew, questioned by the Navy Commando, was not aware that the cargo contained weaponry.

Turkey created a diplomatic furor the last time Israel interdicted a flotilla attempting to run the blockade, accusing the Israelis of attacking Turkish nationals illegally in international waters. The incident finally fizzled out after a few weeks, but the diplomatic damage between Israel and one of its few friends in the Muslim world was irreparably damaged, it appears.

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