It was the fourth time in a decade that Israel had stopped a ship and reported finding Iranian weapons on board.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said Israeli forces met no resistance when they intercepted the German-owned Victoria some 200 miles from Israel and were taking the vessel to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
The military said the vessel had set off from the Syrian port of Latakia and stopped in Mersin, Turkey, before heading toward Alexandria in Egypt. Neither Turkey nor Egypt had any involvement in the arms shipment, the military said explicitly.
Israel says lots of arms from Iran are shipped into Egypt and then brought across the little-patrolled Sinai Desert where Palestinians use a network of tunnels to smuggle goods from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said he personally approved the operation, which he told reporters was carried out “on the high seas in accordance with international law.”
“Many weapons were found on board, intended for terrorist forces in the heart of Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “Iran is the source of the weaponry.”
Brig. Gen. Rani Ben Yehudah told reporters the shipment included some Chinese-designed C704 anti-ship missiles, designed to be fired from land to sink a ship. Iran makes those missiles and calls them the Nasr. Yehudah said among the material found on board were instruction manuals in Farsi.
Asked about Israel’s allegation, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said: “Don’t trust Israeli media news. There is no such thing. We do not confirm it in any way.”
An Israeli military spokesman said a partial search turned up three containers loaded with arms and more cargo would be examined after the ship reached Israel.
The military released several photos from the raid, showing mortars and other arms amid stacks of munitions boxes removed from the containers. It also released a video showing an Israeli officer informing the Victoria’s captain that the ship was suspected of carrying arms, and the captain allowing the commandos to board.
Israeli officials said the naval commandos met no resistance, and the crew on board told the soldiers they were unaware of the cargo.
Although the ship was intercepted outside Israel’s territorial waters, maritime law entitles Israel to search any merchant vessel it has reason to believe is carrying contraband to support Hamas, said Benjamin David, a former high-ranking officer in the military’s legal department.
Even without prior evidence, if the ship’s captain gave permission for the Israeli navy to board, the action is legal, David added.
It was the fourth time Israel had stopped a ship and found weapons Israel said were linked to Iran.
In May 2001 off its coast, Israel captured the vessel Santorini, packed with explosives that Israel said were sent from Hezbollah to Palestinian militant groups.
In January 2002, Israeli forces stormed the Karine A freighter on the Red Sea, and confiscated what the military said was 50 tons of missiles, mortars, rifles and ammunition loaded in Iran and headed for the Gaza Strip.
In 2009, about 100 miles off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, Israeli commandos seized the Francop, a freighter the Israeli military said was carrying hundreds of tons of Iranian arms, including rockets, to Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.