US Navy steps up (Archive)
Photo: Reuters
Iranian arms ship detained in Cyprus
Shipment of weapons intended for Gaza Strip detained in Limassol port due to US, Israeli appeals
Israel
and the US succeeded in preventing a shipment of Iranian arms to Gaza Thursday, despite Hamas
leaders' recent boasts of rearmament through smuggling.
An Iranian ship carrying weapons intended for the terror organization in the Gaza Strip is currently being held in Cyprus, Israeli officials said.
The officials were satisfied with the detention of the ship, which was flaunting a Cyprus flag, at a Limassol port. The ship was detained following US and Israeli appeals.
Earlier this week, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said the US army was restrained from detaining Iranian arms shipment to Gaza due to legal limitations, and that a more decisive UN resolution was required in order to permit such arrests.
He told a press conference in Washington that the same ship had been making its way towards Syria last week, from where it would travel to Gaza. He said the US Navy had searched the ship at the entrance to the Suez Canal at the captain's permission and ascertained that there were weapons on board.
