Lebanese nab terrorists headed for Gaza

Ship was carrying weapons and was crewed by four Palestinian men.

By YAAKOV KATZ
lebanese ship 88 (photo credit: )
lebanese ship 88
(photo credit: )
The Lebanese army caught a boat on its way to Israel last week that was loaded with weapons, including long-range missiles, Channel 1 revealed Thursday night. Government officials speculated that the boat was funded by Iran or Syria and that the weapons were meant to reach either the Hamas or the Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. In 2002, the Karine A ship was captured in the Red Sea by special IDF forces. The boat's cargo, intended for the Palestinian Authority, included 50 tons of advanced weaponry including Katyusha rockets, rifles, mortar shells, mines and a variety of anti-tank missiles. "There are attempts to smuggle weapons into Israel all the time," one official said. "They will do anything they can to get weapons here which they can use in attacks against Israel." According to Lebanese media reports, the boat - together with four passengers - was caught off the southern port of Tripoli. The boat's point of origin was a dock at Naher Al Bard - a nearby Palestinian refugee camp. Officials conjectured that the Palestinians onboard were members of the terrorist organization that fired Katyushas toward Kiryat Shmona last month.