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Israel said Sunday it had found 40 long-range rockets aboard a ship it intercepted in the
Red Sea, charging that it carried weapons sent by Iran to Gaza Strip militants.
A statement from the Israeli military said the M-302 rockets with a range of 160 kilometres
(100 miles) were found in containers offloaded from the Panamanian-flagged Klos-C.
The vessel was intercepted by Israeli naval commandos on the high seas on Wednesday between
Sudan and Eritrea and escorted to the Red Sea port of Eilat by two warships.
It arrived late on Saturday and was inspected and unloaded on Sunday in an operation dubbed
"Full Disclosure". A statement said security forces searching
the Klos-C had found "40 rockets (type M-302), up to the range of 160 kilometres, 181 122mm
mortar shells, approximately 400,000 7.62-calibre rounds".
It said the unloading and inspection of containers was carried out by a combined task-force including
the Israeli Navy, the Combat Engineering Corps and the Ordnance Corps.
"Each one of these rockets poses a threat to the safety of the citizens of Israel -– each
bullet and each rocket that was discovered had an Israeli address," army chief Lieutenant
General Benny Gantz told sailors who took part in the operation.
"Our efforts in preventing the proliferation of weapons and the supply of critical components
with strategic influence over the region is not over," Gantz said.
"There are many other missions ahead of us." Iran has flatly denied any involvement with
the shipment, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused the Islamic republic
of "brazenly lying". The premier and Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon
are due to attend a news conference in Eilat on Monday at which the weaponry will be put
on display. Public radio said ambassadors and military
attaches would also be there to see the equipment "to prove to the world that Iran sends military
aid to terrorist groups active in the Gaza Strip".