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| Ambassadors, Military Attaches Witness Weapons Seized from Francop |
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06 November 2009 , 00:13
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| This afternoon all the weapons from the ship were successfully transferred. In the photo: the visitorss in the ammunition center. Photo: IDF Spokesperson |
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| The weaponery in the ammunition center . Photo: IDF Spokesperson |
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Ambassadors and military attaches from 27 armies in the world were witnesses of the 500 tons of weapons seized by Israel from the Francop ship, in an Iranian attempt to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah
Ambassadors and diplomats from 44 countries and military attaches from 27 armies in the world were invited this evening by the IDF and the Foreign Ministry to an IDF base in central Israel. The invitation was in order for them to be witnesses of the many weapons and accumulation of ammunition that were found on the Francop ship on Wednesday this week.
State representatives heard from senior IDF officers and from the Foreign Ministry director general, Mr. Yossi Gal. A senior intelligence officer briefed delegates about the countries from which the weapons came from and to where they were intended - Syria and Lebanon, and the possible use of these weapons by terrorist organizations. Also, he explained the central role of Iran and its role as sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East.
Israel Navy Chief , Brig. Gen. Rani Ben Yehuda, described to the ambassadors and military attaches the phenomenon of smuggling weapons through sea as well as an elaborated recount of the takeover of the ship and the ultimate destination of the weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Head of Strategic Department, Brig. Gen. Yossi Heiman, stressed the importance of international cooperation and active involvement of countries in the world in thwarting terrorism and smuggling weapons and said, "The Francop ship phenomenon is part of the struggle between the camps in the Middle East and the fact that the smuggling of weapons is carried by Syria and Iran, countries that are sovereign, enables radical parties - Hezbollah, Hamas and others to undermine stability in Lebanon, Palestine and other countries. The nature of wars has changes in recent years and the international community has not yet found the legal and operational tools to deal with these threats."
Ambassadors and diplomats view the different types of weaponery
This afternoon all the weapons from the ship were successfully transferred to a base in central Israel. The various weapons on board the intercepted ship 'Francop' include 20,000 fragmentary grenades, 9000 mortar shells, 3000 106 millimeter artillery shells, 2000 122 and 107 millimeter rockets and 600,000 7.62 millimeter rounds for AK47 assault rifles. It is important to mention that Hezbollah has made vast use of Katyusha rocket launchers and missiles during the Second Lebanon War. Today it was reported that some of the weapons seized will be used by the IDF for research purposes.
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