Iran, Syria reject Israeli claims over arms cargo
Press TV, Nov 4 2009
Tehran has dismissed claims that a container vessel intercepted by Israel was carrying ‘hundreds of tons of Iranian-made arms’ to Lebanon. In remarks that instantly became the focus of Western media outlets, Israeli military sources said they found a large cache of weapons when they stormed a Lebanon-bound ship on Tuesday. The sources added that the ship, which is currently being unloaded in Israel, was Iranian and the weaponry was destined for the Hezbollah resistance movement either in Lebanon or Syria. “We found dozens of containers, with hundreds of tons of arms bound for Hezbollah from Iran,” Israel’s deputy naval commander Ben Yehuda told reporters on Wednesday. Iranian FM Mottaki, in a joint press conference with Syrian FM Muallem on Wednesday, dismissed the allegations out of hand. His remarks were backed by Muallem, who asserted that, contrary to Israeli claims:
The ship was not carrying Iranian-made weaponry for Syria or Lebanon, but was in fact carrying Syrian-made items for consumption in Iran. Unfortunately a number of pirates disrupt business activities and, frequenting the ships, these pirates sometimes act in the name of Iranians.
November 5, 2009 at 8:11 am
I think they may be trying point out that the ship was enroute TO Iran.
From the AP report I linked to,
This ship carries imported goods from Syria to Iran,” al-Moallem added. …
It was unclear why al-Moallem said the ship was headed in the opposite direction of that stated by Israel.
Israel appears to have boobooed big time with this one.
Seems they chose a ship going the wrong way for the stunt.
My guess is that the container was delivered to the wharf by truck.
November 5, 2009 at 8:42 am
either that, or it was stopped on the high seas (undetected by satellites) by pirates posing as Iranians who used a marine heavy duty crane to load tons of missiles into its interior and then ordered it to steam in the opposite direction?
November 5, 2009 at 8:48 am
Possibly.
November 5, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Haaretz are creating more confusion about its intended route.
I see a better version of Muallem’s quote in your story, moonkoon:
What all this probably means is that, having arrived at Latakia, the ship was to unload its cargo and then take on board Syrian goods bound for Iran via Egypt. The ship would then make the return trip to Damietta, perhaps via Limassol, the exact reverse of its first trip, or perhaps via a Turkish port.
November 5, 2009 at 6:49 pm
don’t worry about bad pr for israel, jews know how to turn sow’s ear into a silk purse (or is it goy’s kidney into banker’s purse, i may be mixing up my metaphors).
watch how they will claim that these were in fact saddam’s floating wmd’s, thereby extending the axis of noahide disobedience to wherever the finger of rabbinical hate points (yes, sweden, you too).
November 5, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I don’t see how this could be bad PR for Israel. Netanyahu is being a bit stupid by claiming that the shipment is a “war crime” in itself, simply because he is so obsessed with Goldstone and wants to link everything to that. But I’m quite satisfied that the shipment was real. The question is, how did Israel find out about it? See:
http://niqnaq.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/upi-asks-the-right-question/
and especially my italicised comment on it.
November 10, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Smoking gun? You be the judge.
This must be the first time that an up-to-the-minute progress report about a “developing” situation has been vetted for “obsequiousness”.
It’s the sort of thing you might be looking for when the concept was being developed, though.
The Reuters news desk, along with many foreign journalists in Israel, received a peculiarly worded beeper message in English from the Israel Defence Forces Spokesman’s Office on Israel’s seizure of a ship carrying hundreds of tons of Iranian-supplied arms on Wednesday.
It read as follows (the strangely worded part is in bold letters):
“IDF Spokesperson Update: ‘FRANCOP’, the weapons laden ship intercepted by the Israel navy, left the Ashdod naval port yesterday evening, after all of the arms and munitions had been unloaded. The ‘FRANCOP’ has continued on its way, sailing towards its original port of destination after the incidents of yesterday. Israel Navy personnel released the ship without complications and with best wishes for their continued safe journey. (This is a retarded sentence for foreign press, comes across as obsequious) the arms unloaded were transported overnight, under the supervision of sappers, to an IDF ammunition base in central Israel, where the weaponry will be properly and safely stored.”
The spokesman’s office issued an apology in a subsequent beeper message. An officer in the spokesman’s office told Reuters the unusual commentary in the original message was the result of a mistake committed by a low-ranking soldier….
… REUTERS/Amir Cohen
http://blogs.reuters.com/axismundi/2009/11/05/retarded-and-obsequious/
November 10, 2009 at 1:55 pm
That blog post isn’t by Amir Cohen, it’s by someone called Sangwon Yoon. The photo is by Amir Cohen.
It’s such a funny story, I’ve posted it as a separate item.