Israel’s Navy on Tuesday intercepted a Liberian-flagged ship laden with weapons 200 nautical miles off the Israeli coast. An IDF spokesman said that the ‘Victoria’ originated from Syrian port of Latakia and was sailing sailed to Mersin in Turkey. It was seized while on its way from Turkey destined for El-Arish in Egypt. The IDF said the arms were intended for militant groups in the Gaza Strip.
The ship was raided without a struggle and towed it into the Israeli port in Ashdod. According to the IDF, the it was carrying “tons” of concealed weapons. A joint statement from the IDF and Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the German authorities had been alerted of the ship’s seizure as the ship belonged to a German company. The operating company of the ship was from France, and thus French officials were also made aware of the situation.
The Prime Minister's Office emphasized that Turkey was not involved in the weapons shipment, stating: "According to the shipment documents and questioning of the crew, the vessel initially departed from Latakia port in Syria and then proceeded to the Mersin port in Turkey. Turkey has no connection to this incident regarding the weaponry uncovered on board.” Relations between the two countries have been strained since Israeli commandos raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last May, in which nine Turkish activists on board one of the vessels were killed.
On Tuesday, PM Netanyahu said the ship Israel had an "obligation and right to stop ships smuggling arms." The seizure had been made "at sea according to international laws. We updated all the relevant countries and the international community," he added.
Israel maintains a land and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas.
