Israeli Defense Forces report capture of Iranian weapons destined for Gaza

TEL AVIV, Israel, March 5 (UPI) -- The Israeli Defense Forces reported Wednesday that the Israeli navy had intercepted an Iranian weapons shipment en route to Gaza for use by "terrorist organizations."

The Israeli navy boarded the vessel in international waters approximately 1,000 miles off the coast of Eliat, Israel.

IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said the shipment included Syrian-manufactured surface-to-surface rockets.

Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for Gaza's interior ministry, dismissed the IDF's announcement as an attempt by Israel to justify its continuing blockade. "The Palestinian resistance is not naive to send this amount of weapons through the sea while it is totally under siege in the Gaza strip."

[CNN]