Iran-Israel "Silent War": Armed Ship Intercepted

The Latest from Iran (5 November): Riding the Wave?
Israel-Palestine: Clinton’s Cairo Visit Pushes Talks Into the Distance
Video & Transcript: Clinton Press Conference in Egypt (4 November)

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

The silent war with Iran is continuing. On Wednesday, Israeli commandos seized the Antigua-flagged civilian ship "Francop" and unloaded the largest arms shipment Israel has ever commandeered.

According to Israeli officials, the ship was heading for Egypt, having departed from Iran with weapons destined for Lebanon's Hezbollah. They displayed what they claimed was an Iranian report.



Israel's Foreign Ministry issued an instruction to Israeli embassies and consulates around the world to use the findings on board and to turn the international community against Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said:

Iran is shipping weapons to terror organizations in order to attack Israeli cities and kill its citizens. It is time that the international community applied real pressure on Iran to stop these criminal actions, and support Israel in its battle against terrorists and their patrons.

Following the conclusion of Israeli military intelligence that Hamas' armed strength has grown after the Gaza War, the "existential threat" of Iran is again on the top of Israeli agenda. With support from the US and 27-member EU support in their pocket, who can convince Israeli diplomats that Operation Cast Lead was a failure, whatever the assertions of "war crimes" in the Goldstone Report?

Comments

[picard]

What, no comment about the "revelations" themselves? No questioning of several very curious and nonsensical aspects of this story? Like why would IRI be shipping arms to Hizbullah by sea, rather than by the long established land route via Syria? And is it true that the ship had just left Lebanon? This entire story smacks of another Karun-A "planted evidence" story... (oh, now there's a murky story worth re-opening too....) Ah, but Israeli writers & such are crowing of this being a "triumph" of Mossad intel. It might just as easily be yet another indication of brilliant disinformatzia. Ah, but "Israel's friends" in the US media won't even permit the honest questions to be asked. Would hope this web site will.

At the level of motive, it should be rather obvious what Israel's intentions would be. Increasingly worried that a serious deal might emerge between the US and Iran to ratchet down tensions, this sort of agitprop would raise the ante yet again, further "insurance" that Iran remains top of the US agenda, rather than Israeli settlements... etc.

[ChrisE]

I think this too sounds a bit fishy- the Iranian govt seems too distracted whilst the Israelis, as the Goldstone report is debated at the UN, perhaps need a distraction. I agree with Picard- this would be an extremely risky (almost suicidal)route for such a consignment, going through heavily patrolled waters.

I have no expertise on this subject, but somone in a better position to know has noted that the nature of this equipment would be of questionable use to Hezbollah. It is also reported that Iran fully resupplied Hezbollah back in 2006, with there being no need for subsequent shipments.

Another theory put forward, which perhaps ties into the increasing economic opportunism of Revolutionary Guard elements, is that this was a straight black market job. Someone with access to the stores did a private deal with groups in Lebanon for personal profit.

[cyrus]

Picard / ChrisE
It could be that this is staged by Israel to show US that Iran is still a threat, an Israel attempt to slow down the nuclear negotiations, the timing is suspicious, but it could also be that Iran is preparing for a conflict, knowing that the negotiations will break down.

As for it being a black market job for personal profit, I doubt that. A job like that had to been authorized by higher ups within the Guards rank. And this would conflict with AN`s attempt to gain legitimacy through the nuclear negotiations.

[Mark]

You know this is so bogus is not even funny. The timing, the fact that the ship had just Lebanon, the fact that Israel has done this sort of thing all the time going all the way back to Levon affair in the 50s. Iran does not need to send arms via the Sea. They have daily flights into Syria, WTF. They most likely are arming the Hizbollah but this is a clear planting evidence case. BTW the ship had also stopped in Egypt. What a bunch of B.S. Where are the real reporters in the US Media ?

[ChrisE]

Mark, I don't disagree with the main thrust of your argument, but I think this hardware would be too heavy to be shipped by air.

[Cecil]

Chris, it is also too suspicious if they transport this huge volume of arms by land. It will be an easy target for the Israelis. I think transporting it by sea is the most logical one. They (IRI) know that the world and media attention is on the 13'th Aban and it's aftermath thats why they want to create as much chaos as they can by beating women, kids even if they are just walking by and arrest more protesters as much as they can to invite world and media attention and hoping that arms shipment will go unnoticed. This are just my thoughts and I maybe wrong or right...

[Anhtony]

The weapons were loaded in Egypt. How is that even possible? I call BS on this one.