WarSclerotic

In the wake of the successful interception of the large Gaza-bound arms shipment in the Red Sea on Wednesday, Israel’s defense establishment and senior political leadership could boast two accomplishments: the raid, officially called Operation Full Disclosure, denied potentially game-changing weapons from Hamas and tore the mask off Iran’s smiling face on the world stage.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the weapons aboard the Panamanian-flagged Klos C ship included dozens of M-302 missiles, which have a range of 100-200 kilometers (60-120 miles). The weapons were hidden inside cement containers.

Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

The weapons were originally flown from Syria to Iran. From Iran, they were shipped by boat to Iraq. The shipment was intercepted as it was being moved by boat from Iraq to Sudan, from where the weapons were to have been smuggled overland to Gaza. The interception occurred shortly before the shipment was due to arrive in Port Sudan, Sudan.

The ship, with a crew of 17, was boarded by Israeli naval commandos around 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) south of Israel off the coast of Eritrea and Sudan. The forces encountered no resistance and no one was injured in the operation. It is not known whether the ship’s crew was aware of the weaponry on board.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, currently in the U.S., praised the naval forces who took part in the operation Wednesday, calling the execution of the operation “perfect.”

“I would like to commend the IDF, the intelligence services of the State of Israel and — of course — the navy commanders and personnel who carried out a perfect operation to intercept a secret Iranian weapons ship,” Netanyahu said in a statement Wednesday. “At a time when it is talking to the major powers, Iran smiles and says all sorts of nice things, the same Iran is sending deadly weapons to terrorist organizations and is doing so via a ramified network of secret operations in order to send rockets, missiles and other deadly weapons that will be used to harm innocent citizens. This is the true Iran and this state cannot possess nuclear weapons. We will continue to whatever is necessary in order to defend Israel’s citizens.”

The prime minister called Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and Mossad Director Tamir Pardo after the operation to congratulate them and their subordinates on the successful mission. The Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu praised them “for the quality intelligence [they had gathered] and for the operation’s precision.”

Speaking with Israeli reporters in Los Angeles, Netanyahu said that the “over-arching objective of this mission was to thwart the delivery of lethal weapon systems to the Gaza Strip via Iran; the second objective was to expose Iran’s true face. Even as it holds talks with the world’s powers, it brazenly flouts international law and arms the Palestinian terrorists with game-changing weapons. We have been outing this activity on the world stage in a systematic way and without much fanfare. Israel has the right to defend itself, by itself, against any threat, and let me add this — anywhere in the world.”

Sources in Netanyahu’s bureau said that despite the 10-hour time difference, the prime minister stayed up all night Tuesday to monitor the operation in real time and to relay orders according to how events unfolded. He was constantly briefed by National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen and the military secretary to the Prime Minister, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

Netanyahu told reporters the seizure of the ship was in compliance with international law and with proper authority. He stressed that the Panamanian government was briefed by Israeli officials, as were the respective nations of the personnel aboard the ship, which was operated by a company based in the Marshall Islands.

Israeli intelligence had been monitoring the arms shipment for many weeks. The shipment was first discovered several months ago when officials learned of Syrian-made M-302 rockets being flown from the international airport in Damascus to Tehran, under the direction of Iran’s Quds Force. This set off alarm bells in Israel, as such shipments are usually made in the opposite direction. M-302 missiles have a significantly greater range than any of the missiles currently in use by terrorist groups in Gaza.

From Tehran, the weapons were moved to the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. This was the same port used for the arms shipment that was intercepted on the Francop ship by the Israeli Navy in November 2009. In Bandar Abbas, the weapons were put on board the Klos C, dissimulated in cement containers.

The ship sailed from Bandar Abbas to the Iraqi port city of Umm Qasr, where additional cement containers were brought on board. The ship then set sail for Port Sudan, but was intercepted by the Israeli Navy before reaching its destination.

Gantz commanded Wednesday’s operation from IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, while Israeli Navy Commander Vice Adm. Ram Rothberg oversaw the interception from a forward command post.

Ya’alon lay blame on Iran on Wednesday. “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, while in complete violation of international law and abuse of open maritime trading routes,” Ya’alon said in a statement. “Iran supplies financial support, arms and training to terror organizations in the region and around the world, and its failed effort to transfer the weapons discovered this morning, is additional evidence. The Iranian regime continues to deceive the world; while it shows its smiling face it continues to be the biggest threat to world peace. 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 inside Israel.” Ya’alon warned that the same regime that was responsible for this shipment was the “ostensibly smiling Iran that has tried to reach agreements with the West.” He said he hoped “the world learns its lesson.”

The IDF’s interdiction efforts in Full Disclosure demonstrate its impressive intelligence capabilities. It further underscores Israel’s undeclared policy of preemptive strikes to deny its enemies game-changing weapons. According to the foreign media, Israel has repeatedly struck Syria and Lebanon when it had actionable intelligence on such deliveries, despite the risks involved.

Gantz may have referred to this policy on Wednesday when he said that “the war [we are waging] against the proliferation efforts [of our enemies], against the arm shipments in the north, and the arm smuggling in the south, involves a long battle,” Gantz said. “It requires non-stop and intense intelligence gathering that are complemented by pro-active measures we undertake every so often, using different degrees of force. This time we could reap the dividends of our laborious efforts.”

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor filed an official complaint with the Security Council and with the body’s special committee on sanctions (created as a means of enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1737 on Iran). “Iran continues to pose a danger to international shipping and has brazenly flouted a whole host of Security Council resolutions, with the goal of destabilizing the region’s stability and propagating war and terrorism,” Lieberman said. “Iran is still a terrorist state, all of it. Of course one can hold talks with the Iranians but any diplomatic engagement Iran partakes in is designed to obscure its affiliation with terrorism, because Iran has not changed — it is, at it core, a terrorist state whose goal is to boost terrorism all over the world.”

President Shimon Peres had praise for Israel’s military and touted the importance of the operation. “The capture of the ship carrying arms to Hamas was a brilliant military operation and an extremely important act. We can see the quality and courage of those who took part and we are proud of them,” the President’s Residence said in a statement. “It is also an important message to the world, beginning with Iran. Iran must stop bluffing. This operation exposes the true face of Iran which says one thing but does the opposite. They put on an innocent face and send the most dangerous missiles to a terror organization that kills innocents, in violation of international law. Iran must make up its mind either to tell the truth and respect international law or admit that it is all camouflage and we cannot trust their policy or declaration.”

This was not the first time Israeli commandos intercept an illicit Gaza-bound shipment. Three years ago, Israel seized the cargo ship Victoria loaded with weapons allegedly sent by Iran to Gaza militants, including Iranian-made coastal missiles. The vessel originated in Syria.

In May 2001, Israel captured the vessel Santorini off its coastline, packed with explosives from Hezbollah to Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip. 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 headed for Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. In November 2009, Israel took over the Iranian vessel MV Francop off the coast of Cyprus and captured hundreds of tons of rockets, missiles, mortars, grenades and anti-tank weapons on board that were headed to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel has also reportedly carried out airstrikes in Sudan on arms shipments believed to be bound for Gaza. Israel has never confirmed carrying out the strikes.

The Klos C is now being towed to Eilat.