Zeenews Bureau
Tehran: Iran and Syria have denied claims made by Israel that a ship seized in the Mediterranean was carrying over 60 tonnes of Iranian weapons for Hezbollah guerrillas.
On Wednesday, Israel's Navy commandos seized the ship some 100 miles off the country's coast, the defence forces claimed.
The Antigua-flagged ship discovered during "routine activity to maintain security and prevent arms smuggling" carried the arms cache hidden behind civilian cargo, a statement from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.
After the initial search onboard the ship, the Navy towed the freighter to Israel, where it conducted a thorough search of the cargo.
Since the conclusion of IDF's three-week offensive in Gaza in December-January, the Navy and the Israel Air Force have conducted extensive patrols and reconnaissance in the Mediterranean and Red Sea.
Israeli defence officials told The Jerusalem Post that the ship was carrying arms sent by Iran and it was destined for Syria and probably Hezbollah.
According to the officials, the ship carried advanced weaponry including missiles, and the incident was apparently similar in scope to the seizing of the Karine A ship intercepted in January 2002 off the coast of Gaza.
IDF special forces stormed the Karine-A freighter which was carrying 60 tonnes of weapons loaded on board for Palestinian militants at the height of the second intifada.
First Published: Thursday, November 05, 2009, 10:01