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| Israel halts 'Iran weapons ship' | Israel halts 'Iran weapons ship' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Israel has intercepted a ship carrying Iranian weapons to Gaza, Israeli defence officials say. | Israel has intercepted a ship carrying Iranian weapons to Gaza, Israeli defence officials say. |
| The Panamanian-flagged vessel was boarded by Israeli special naval forces in the Red Sea on Wednesday, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said. | The Panamanian-flagged vessel was boarded by Israeli special naval forces in the Red Sea on Wednesday, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said. |
| Israel says it found rockets on board, and that it was now taking the ship back to Israeli shores. | Israel says it found rockets on board, and that it was now taking the ship back to Israeli shores. |
| There has not yet been any comment on the incident from Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip. | |
| IDF officials said the ship was carrying dozens of rockets including the Syrian-made M-302. | |
| IDF spokesman Lt Col Peter Lerner said the 17-member crew of the ship appeared to be unaware of their cargo and were not suspects. | |
| He said they would be taken back to Israel for questioning. | |
| The ship was boarded in international waters between Sudan and Eritrea, Col Lerner said. | |
| Israel has accused Iran of arming groups such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. | |
| Almost 50 projectiles were fired towards Israel from the Gaza Strip last year, Israel says. | |
| Hamas denies that it has fired any rockets since a 2012 ceasefire agreement with Israel, and has blamed other groups such as Islamic Jihad. | |
| Israel has in turn launched several air strikes on the Gaza Strip, causing several deaths. |