Weapons unloaded from Francop ship destined to Hezbollah. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

Francop vessel taken to the port of Ashdod. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

Weapons hidden behind civilian cargo. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

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On Tuesday (Nov. 3) an exceptionally large quantity of weapons, rockets, and missiles was uncovered onboard a cargo vessel intercepted by the Israel Navy Special Forces and brought to the Ashdod port.

Dozens of shipping containers found on the ship were carrying 500 tons of weapons and ordnance disguised as civilian cargo among hundreds of other containers onboard.  The amount of weapons found is 10 times larger than the Karin A ship intercepted in January 2002. 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.

As part of the Israel Navy's routine activity to maintain security and prevent arms smuggling, a force comprised of naval commandos, missile boats, and intelligence and explosive experts intercepted a cargo vessel bearing the name "Francop", which was flying an Antiguan flag.

The naval commando force boarded the vessel and conducted an initial search. The search was conducted in accordance with the usual search protocols as dictated by International Law.  The Captain of the ship agreed to the search and no force of any kind was used during the operation.

Following the initial search and after it became clear that the vessel was carrying weapons, the vessel was directed by the Israel Navy to dock at an Israel Navy base in Ashdod in for additional searches and a detailed inspection of the hull's cargo.

The weapons found onboard the ship originate from Iran, and were intended to reach the Hezbollah terror organization for use against the State of Israel and its citizens. The weapons uncovered at sea last night constitute a harsh violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1747 and 1701 that strictly forbid Iran from exporting or trading any form of weapons.

President Shimon Peres said that, "Iran had promised it would not send weapons, and broke international law. The importance of the ship's capture is enormous and has political value as well. Therefore it is a political event and the seizure is a military accomplishment."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the weapons found on board the ship were intended to harm Israel's cities and towns. Moreover, he hailed the operation congratulating the army the navy, and other security agencies involved on the successful counterterrorist operation.

The Minister of Defense Ehud Barak praised the IDF for their outstanding effort in combating weapon smuggling. "This is another success in the struggle against attempts to smuggle weapons by terrorist organizations who threaten the security of Israel," he said.

The Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai told Army Radio this morning that "We must salute the intelligence community and the IDF for the operation. Rarely is the public aware of the successful operations undertaken." He added that the weapons were destined for Hezbollah and that Katyusha rockets were amongst the weapons in the vessel.

The IDF wishes to emphasize that, “The Iranians continue to act deceptively while blatantly ignoring and violating both International Law and UN Security Council decisions.  They relentlessly act under the guise and flags of different countries in order to arm and encourage extremist factions that strive to destabilize the Middle East and other regions.” 

Last night’s operation was part of continuous overt and covert IDF operations on various fronts, both near and far intended to maintain Israel’s security by preventing arms smuggling.