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Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed on Wednesday foreign diplomats who came to view that were found by the IDF .
“To all those who have asked, attacked and criticized Israel for stopping and searching ships destined for Gaza, well here is the clearest possible answer, here, today in Ashdod, why it is our duty, not just our right, to stop and disarm such ships,” said Netanyahu.
“The deadly weaponry that you see here originated in Iran,” he added. “We see the writing. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is holding, in a plastic bag, a greeting written in Farsi, for using some of these weapons. They originate in Iran. They passed through Syria and were en route to terrorists in the Gaza Strip. But, as has been said, their final objective was Israeli citizens. We have already experienced and been hit by thousands, if not tens of thousands, of rockets, missiles and mortar rounds, which have already been fired at Israeli citizens.”
Netanyahu described how “Everyday, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist elements are making efforts to smuggle weapons into Lebanon and Gaza. This is the axis of terrorism: Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas and the other terrorist organizations. This is the axis of terrorism in our region and this is the axis of terrorism that we have to deal with and, in the end, break. It is our desire to prevent terrorism, maintain security and create here a chance for peace.”
Defense Minister Ehud Barak praised IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz for the success of the naval operation to seize the “Victoria” and said in relation to weapons that were found: “We managed to avert a disaster here, but I have no doubt that the other side will continue to try and achieve it.
“We are dealing here with an axis involving Iran, Syria and Hizbullah whose purpose is to strengthen terrorism in the Gaza Strip,” added Barak. “The struggle against them must continue in the air, sea, land, anywhere.”
Gantz gave a description of the weapons that were seized on the ship and said that the naval operation was “a task done that was done in silence, secrecy and determination. What you see here is the end result. We do not have to be proud of successes, but rather be satisfied by our professional achievements. We must continue to operate to prevent the smuggling of weapons.”
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IDF Navy Seizes Ship Filled With Arms on way from Syria to Egypt
March 15, 2011
This afternoon, the IDF announced that the Victoria, a German owned, French operated and Liberian flagged vessel, was apprehended 200 miles off the Israeli coast by the IDF Navy. It was carrying arms from the port of Latakia in Syria to Alexandria in Egypt via Turkey. The IDF Navy fighters, in an operation reminiscent of earlier ship seizures, met with no resistance. The assumption is that the arms were intended for the Hamas in Gaza and would reach them via the smuggling tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The ship and crew have been towed to an Israeli port for continued questioning and inspection. 3 crates of arms were found on the deck and the inspection of the remaining hundreds of crates in the ship's cargo is expected to reveal that this was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Brigadier General Avi Bnayahu, the IDF spokesperson, said to Israel Army Radio "apparently we will find more evidence of the Iran, Syria, Hezbollah axis". The official announcement claimed that there was no Turkish involvement in the shipment, provoking speculation that Israel was cautious not to further inflame its troubled relations with the AKP Islamic Party government of Turkey.
The IDF pledged to continue its intelligence and operational activity to protect Israeli security and prevent an arms injection that would empower terror in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
The MInistry of Foreign Affairs announced: This attempt at smuggling large amounts of weaponry aboard the Victoria provides additional proof of Israel’s imperative need to examine all goods entering the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Israel cannot allow weapons and military equipment to reach the hands of terrorists, who will use them against its civilian population.
