Hezbollah denies Israeli claims on weapons

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Hezbollah in a statement Thursday vehemently denied Israel's claims that it seized a sizable weapons cache destined for the Shiite resistance.

The Israeli army said it unloaded 36 containers of weapons at the Israeli port of Ashdod before allowing the Antigua-flagged vessel Francop to set sail Thursday.

Israeli military officials said the Polish captain and crew knew nothing of the contents of the containers.

Thirty tons of weapons, rockets, missiles, hand grenades and ammunition were hidden behind thousands of plastic polyethylene bags, the army said.

Israel claimed the Iranian- and Russian-made arms were due to be unloaded in the Syrian port of Latakia and from there transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hezbollah in a brief statement published in part by its al-Manar news station denied the Israeli account of the seizure.

"Hezbollah staunchly denies any link to the weapons that the Zionist enemy has seized from the Francop ship," the group said.

Syrian and Iranian officials in a joint statement Wednesday denied the allegations as well. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said the ship was on its way to deliver Syrian good to Iranian markets.

The U.S. Congressional Research Service said in an October report that Iran is one of the biggest customers for North Korean arms, acting as a possible go-between for Syria's arsenal.

"Iran purportedly has acted as an intermediary with North Korea to supply Syria with various forms of weapons of mass destruction and missile technology," the report said.