JERUSALEM (EJP)—’My message today is simple: those engaged in self-deception must awaken from their slumber,’’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday in Eilat as Israel’s defense Forces unveiled an arsenal of weapons that Iran tried to smuggle into Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (ID) unloaded in the Red Sea port the cargo of the Panamanian-flagged ship Klos-C that its naval commandos boarded last week off the coast of Sudan, displaying 40 M-302 missiles which have a range of 150km to 200km (93-124 miles), 181 mortar shells and 400,000 AK-47 bullets.
The IDF said the shipment would have equipped Gaza terrorist organizations with strike capabilities far exceeding those they currently hold. “We’re talking about weapons that are out of the ordinary; different from previous smuggling attempts. These warheads are far larger than other rockets currently present in Gaza. Take the rocket from Operation Pillar of Defense that hit a home in Rishon Lezion. That rocket destroyed one floor. This warhead would have destroyed the entire building.”
The IDF released video presentations illustrating the circuitous 5,000-mile route that it says the weapons had been meant to take — starting in Syria, then to Iran and Iraq before heading toward Sudan and overland to Gaza — along with clips showing naval commandos discovering the rockets far out at sea.
‘’The weapons on this ship were destined for terrorists in Gaza who are committed to Israel’s destruction. The goal was to have these weapons rain down on the heads of Israel’s citizens. The ship was organized by Iran, dispatched by Iran, financed by Iran. The missiles were loaded by Iran in Iran,’’ Netanyahu told a press conference.
Netanyahu noted that the assorted rockets, mortars and other munitions could have reached Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and even Haifa.
He added : ‘’There are those who would prefer that we do not hold this news conference here today. They feel uncomfortable that we show what is really happening inside Iran. They prefer that we continue to nurture the illusion that Iran has changed direction. They’re not prepared to recognize that Iran, a brutal regime, has not abandoned its deep involvement in terrorism, its systematic efforts to undermine peace and security throughout the Middle East, and its ambition to destroy the State of Israel.’’
He criticized the ‘’determination to ignore the truth, that was exposed once again with the capture of the ship’’ , calling it ‘’ hypocritical.’
He deplored that ‘’at most I heard a few faint condemnations of Iran from the international community after we intercepted this murderous shipment.’’
‘’We even saw representatives of the world powers shaking hands and smiling with the heads of Iran’s regime, at the same time we were unloading these missiles here in Eilat,’’ he added in a reference to the visit of EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Tehran.
Baroness Ashton is taking “nothing for granted” on a nuclear deal with Iran.
“By comparison,” he said, “if we build a balcony in a neighbourhood of Jerusalem, we hear a chorus of vociferous condemnation of the state of Israel from the international community.”
On Sunday, the Israeli premier lashed out at Ashton’s visit in Iran, when he declared : “The goal of seizing the arms ship was to expose Iran’s true face. I say this in order to bring it to the attention of Ms. Ashton, who is now visiting Tehran, and I wish to ask her whether she asked her hosts about the shipment of weapons to terrorist organizations.”
The interception of the shipment of advanced weaponry to Gaza is not Iran’s first attempt at smuggling weapons. Here is a select number of cases:
Naval smuggling attempts:
1. In January 2009, the Cypriot merchant vessel Monchegors, which was en route to Syria, was called for inspection at Limassol by the Cypriot authorities. Upon boarding the ship, inspectors uncovered caches of Iranian weapons. The cargo was seized and confiscated in Cyprus until July 11th 2011, when it caught fire and spontaneously combusted.
2. On November 4, 2009, the Israeli Navy boarded the MV Francop, a merchant vessel en route to Latakia in Syria. Upon inspection, IDF forces discovered 500 tons of Iranian-made weapons, secreted away in 36 unmarked cargo crates. The shipment included various rockets, cannons, hand grenades and rifle ammunition – all disguised and covered up by sacks of ordinary supplies, in a similar method to that used on the KLOS-C.
The MV Francop ship
3. On March 15, 2011, Israel Navy commandos boarded the civilian vessel Victoria which was headed from Syria to the Egyptian port city Alexandria. The ship was carrying approximately 50 tons of concealed weaponry, including Iranian-made C-704 surface-to-sea missiles, mortars and ammunition. The shipment was intended for terror organizations in the Gaza Strip, such as Hamas and the PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad).
4. On January 22, 2002, Israel Navy commandos boarded the merchant vessel Karine-A which had been purchased by Palestinian owners in order to smuggle weapons from Iran to the Gaza Strip. The ship had loaded its cargo in Iran, sailed through the Persian Gulf and was stopped on its way to Israel – much like the KLOS-C. The Karine-A had was shipping 50 tons of weaponry.
Smuggling attempts via land:
On January and April 2012, Turkish authorities twice seized several trucks carrying contraband weapons on their way from Iran to Syria.
Airborne smuggling attempts:
The Iranians have long been utilizing the aerial route to Lebanon in order to smuggle weapons to the area in a quick and discreet way. For over a decade, the Quds Force and the Revolutionary Guard have been shipping weapons to Syria, primarily through the companies “Iran-Air”, “Mahan-Air”, and the government-owned company “Maaraj-Air”. Since the fighting in Syria started, Iran has been delivering weapons shipments on an almost weekly basis.