WarSclerotic

IDF special forces on Wednesday intercepted a ship in the Red Sea carrying an Iranian arms shipment headed for the Gaza Strip.

Israeli naval commandos from the elite Shayetet 13 unit boarded and took control of the “Klos-C” merchant ship, sailing under the Panama flag, at around 5 a.m. They encountered no resistance and there were no casualties reported on either side.

The army said soldiers carried out a preliminary inspection of the ship and found several dozen advanced Syrian M-302 missiles, with a range of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) and a payload of up to 170 kilograms (375 pounds). The missiles were hidden in shipping containers also carrying sacks of concrete.

The incident took place 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Israel’s coast, in the Red Sea, off the Sudanese-Eritrean border. Israel had been tailing the ship for several days before the operation was launched.

The ship had a crew of 17, who were being interrogated by Israeli security forces. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said crew members were apparently unaware of the ship’s secret cargo.

The vessel had reportedly set sail from Iran ten days ago and was set to reach Sudan tomorrow. From there, the weaponry would have been smuggled into Gaza.

The IDF said the ship was being towed to Eilat, a journey which would take several more days, where the ship’s cargo would be properly and extensively inspected.

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz confers with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon at the Navy war room during Wednesday morning’s operation by naval commandos during which they captured a Iranian shipment of weapons on its way to Gaza (photo credit: Ariel Hermoni/ Ministry of Defense)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz personally oversaw the operation and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed on its progress as he toured the US.

Netanyahu commended Gantz and Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo for their efficient work.

“I would like to congratulate the IDF, Israel’s intelligence apparatuses and of course the commanders and soldiers of the navy who carried out a flawless operation to capture a covert Iranian weapons ship,” Netanyahu said.

“As it conducts talks with [world] powers, as Iran smiles and utters pleasantries, the same Iran is sending lethal weapons to terror organizations…via an intricate network of clandestine global operations…in order to hurt innocent civilians,” he added.

“This is the real Iran and this country must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons,” he said. “We will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect Israeli citizens.”

WATCH: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the capture of the Iranian shipment

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said “It has once again become clear that Iran continues to be the greatest exporter of terror in the world, with the express purpose of destabilizing the Middle East.

“This Iranian attempt to transfer weapons to the Gaza Strip is additional evidence that Gaza is a terrorist entity under Iranian auspices preparing to strike deep into Israel,” he added.

The military said the operation originated several months ago, when IDF intelligence identified the transfer of Syrian M-302 rockets from Damascus to Tehran through Damascus International Airport. Intelligence officials found the move odd, as arms are usually transferred from Iran to Syria, not vice versa.

The shipment was then moved to Iran’s Bandar Abbas port and loaded onto the “Klos-C.” The ship initially sailed to the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr where it was loaded with containers carrying bags of cement, to help conceal the weaponry and blur its Iranian origin.

The route of the Iranian weapons shipment captured by the IDF on Wednesday, March 5 (Photo credit: IDF)

The ship then set sail to Port Sudan. From there the weapons would have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip through the Sinai Peninsula.

The military noted Wednesday that while the “Klos-C” was not the first Iranian arms shipment captured by Israel over the past few years, it stood out due to “the lethality and quality of its cargo.” While previous shipments had carried mortars, mid-range rockets and light-weapons ammunition, the latest captured cargo carried missiles with a much larger range and warheads of a much heavier payload.

Syrian M-302 missiles were used by Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War to hit the Israeli cities of Haifa and Afula, the army said.

IDF Navy commander Maj. Gen. Ram Rothberg is seen on board the Klos-C as he inspects a cargo container carrying concealed Iranian weaponry, March 5, 2014 (Photo credit: IDF)

The military noted that Iran has made many attempts in the past to smuggle weaponry to Gaza.

In March 2011 navy commandos stopped civilian vessel “Victoria” as it headed from Syria to Egypt, and discovered 50 tons of Iranian weaponry on board. In January 2009 Cypriot merchant vessel “Monchegors” was found to contain a cache of Iranian weapons during an inspection by Cypriot authorities. Another ship boarded by IDF forces in November of that same year, the “Francop”,  was carrying 500 tons of weaponry in 36 unmarked cargo crates. In 2002 the military captured the “Karine-A” as it carried 50 tons of weaponry from Iran to Gaza.