Israel trumpets seizure of 'Iranian' weapons shipment

Israel says the weapons originated in Syria and were bound for Hamas. Prime Minister Netanyahu, in the US this week, warned Washington not to be distracted by Iran's nuclear outreach.

|
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the AIPAC meeting at the Washington Convention Center, Tuesday, March 4, 2014, in Washington. The prime minister is in Washington this week for the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference.

Behind the recent smiles, Iran is still a dangerous sponsor of terrorism against Israel.

That’s the message Israel is broadcasting today after its navy reportedly intercepted a shipment of missiles in the Red Sea this morning. Israel says that the missiles, which originated in Syria but were shipped via Iran, were destined for Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

"At a time when Iran is talking with world powers, is smiling and uttering pleasantries, it is also sending deadly weapons to terrorist organizations – via an elaborate network of secret operations around that world that aim to funnel rockets, missiles and other deadly weapons to be used to harm innocent civilians," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today from the US. He was in Washington this week for the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference.

"This is the real Iran, and this country must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. We will continue to do everything we must to protect the citizens of Israel," he said. 

The shipment, which was expected to be unloaded in Sudan and then make its way overland through Egypt and the Sinai peninsula to Gaza, contained some variation of M302 rockets. Such missiles are quite accurate and could have put about 4 million Israelis in danger if fired from Gaza, according to Vice Admiral Eliezer Marom, the commander of the Israeli navy from 2007-11. He emphasized the ongoing role of Iran in sponsoring terrorist organizations against Israel.

“There are people who are waking up every day in Iran, who are part of the Revolutionary Army, and their mission is to smuggle weapons to the terrorist organizations so that they will be directed to the citizens of Israel,” he told reporters in a conference call.

According to the Jerusalem Post, an Israeli intelligence estimate at the end of 2013 assessed that Hamas possesses 5,000 short-range rockets and dozens of medium-range rockets. Meanwhile, Iranian proxy Hezbollah, which is active near the Lebanon-Israel border, is thought to have some 100,000 rockets and the ability to strike all of Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces released a video (text in Hebrew) purportedly taken during the Shayetet 13 special forces’ raid of the Panama-registered Klos C cargo vessel this morning, nearly 1,000 miles off Israel’s coast.

It also released a video detailing the weapons' route in English for international consumption. 

At this point, it is impossible to verify the IDF’s account of the operation, the contents of the ship, their origin, or their destination, although Israeli forces have been known to intercept Iranian-supplied weapons shipments to Gaza before, including the Victoria in March 2011, the Francop in November 2009, and the Karine A in 2002.

But what is clear is that an Iranian weapons shipment couldn’t have come at a better time for Israeli leaders and supporters, who have been emphasizing the need at this week’s AIPAC conference for continued – or even increased – pressure on Iran until it takes steps to ameliorate international concerns about its nuclear program.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Israel trumpets seizure of 'Iranian' weapons shipment
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/2014/0305/Israel-trumpets-seizure-of-Iranian-weapons-shipment
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe