DoubleTapper: The Long Arm of IDF Naval Commandos

The Long Arm of IDF Naval Commandos

IDF Naval Commandos intercepted the Iranian cargo ship, the "Francop", which was laden with roughly 500 tons of weapons hidden amongst civilian cargo.

The 36 weapons containers were sent from Iran and were en-route to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. This shipment contained enough weaponry to keep the Hezbollah terrorists supplied for a full month of fighting.

From the IDF Spokesman:

"After being boarded, the ship was then "requested" to make way to the Israeli Naval Port of Ashdod for a complete inspection and inventory of the illegal weapons cargo.

The naval commando force boarded the vessel and conducted an initial search. The search was conducted in accordance with the usual search protocols as dictated by International Law.

Following the initial search and after it became clear that the vessel was carrying weapons, the vessel was directed by the Israel Navy to dock at the Israeli Ashdod Naval base for additional searches and a detailed inspection of the hull’s cargo. It should be emphasized that the captain of the ship agreed to the search. The Israel Navy conducted all activity without any force.

The weapons found onboard the ship originate from Iran, and were intended for the Hezbollah terror organization, for use against the State of Israel and its citizens. The weapons uncovered at sea last night constitute a harsh violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1747 and 1701 that strictly forbid Iran from exporting or trading any form of weapons."


"The overnight operation was authorized by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense of the State of Israel. Commander of the Israel Navy, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Marom, commanded the operation from a forward command cell. The IDF Chief of the General Staff authorized the operation, after the confirmation of intelligence information gathered by the IDF."

And of course the Iranians are as glib as ever:

In Tehran, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem dismissed Israeli allegations the ship carried arms.

"Unfortunately, some pirates sometimes take action in the name of inspection and prevent the sailing of commercial ships," he was quoted as saying by the state IRNA news agency during a visit Wednesday. "This ship was carrying goods from Syria heading to Iran and was not carrying weapons making materials."

See the pictures and video here

DoubleTapper: The Long Arm of IDF Naval Commandos