4 Years Ago, the IDF Stopped Hezbollah’s Largest-Ever Weapons Shipment from Iran

IDF Blog
 November 4, 2013, in Terrorism

Four years ago today, on November 4 2009, the Israel Navy uncovered 500 tons of illegal weapons, rockets and missiles hidden in large shipping containers aboard the “Francop” ship. The weaponry originated from Iran and was designated to be transferred to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Southern Lebanon. U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 forbids the shipment of any arms to Hezbollah.

The Francop’s cargo included about half a million rounds of ammunition, 9,000 mortar shells, 3,000 Katyusha rockets, 3,000 gun shells and 20,000 grenades hidden behind sacks of polyethylene. The ship carrying the mass amounts of weaponry was flying an Antiguan flag. Its weapons were packed with civilian cargo and disguised in boxes so as to mislead the ship’s crew – who did not know they were carrying the weapons.

In order to completely assess the cargo’s components, IDF officials led the Francop ship to the Ashdod Port and disassembled its contents. The Navy was able to determine the extent of the weaponry and its origin, thereby conducting a conclusive search.

The below video illustrates the need for the Israel Navy to thoroughly search suspicious ships in order to prevent rockets and other weaponry from being used on Israeli civilians.

Hezbollah’s growing weapons stockpile

Had the IDF not intercepted the Francop ship, its cargo would have contributed to Hezbollah’s expanding arsenal of weapons. During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hezbollah raided Israel’s border and subsequently fired over 4,000 rockets at Israeli civilians. The war ended with U.N. Resolution 1707, an international measure that demanded Hezbollah’s total disarmament and departure from Southern Lebanon. In violation of this resolution, Hezbollah tripled its weapons stockpile, building an arsenal of over 60,000 rockets and missiles near Israel’s border.

With these weapons, Hezbollah is capable of bombarding Israel with continuous, precise attacks. Hezbollah’s stockpile can strike at any of the country’s civilian centers, including its southernmost city of Eilat. Thousands of Hezbollah missiles can strike targets within 40 kilometers, placing Israel’s northern region at risk of a devastating attack.

 

The IDF uncovered missiles and rockets aboard the Francop ship

In 2009, an IDF intelligence report revealed that Hezbollah runs close to 1,000 military facilities throughout Southern Lebanon. The installations include more than 550 weapons bunkers and 300 underground facilities. Since the report’s release, Hezbollah has continued to build facilities in the region, enhancing its ability to strike at nearby Israeli towns and cities.

In 2010, Former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates commented that Hezbollah “has more missiles than most governments in the world.” In 2012, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah pledged that the terror group would use these weapons to “turn the lives of thousands of Zionists into a living hell.”

Iran: the source of Hezbollah’s terror

Like most of Hezbollah’s arms, the weapons aboard the Francop ship originated in Iran – Hezbollah’s key supporter in the region. Hezbollah relies almost entirely on Iran to smuggle weapons into Lebanon by sea, by air and overland. In May 2007, an Iranian train carrying arms (mortar shells, light arms, rocket launchers and ammunition) was uncovered in Turkey. Like in the case of the Francop, the Iranians attempted to conceal the arms from authorities and then send them to Hezbollah.

The list goes on. In December 2003 and January 2004, after the earthquake in Bam, a city in Southern Lebanon, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard transferred weapons and supplies to Hezbollah by air via Syria. They disguised the convoys as humanitarian aid intended for those injured by the earthquake.

When ordered to by Iran, Hezbollah helps other terrorist organizations smuggle arms with which to carry out its mission of Islamic fundamentalist terror. In May 2003, a fishing boat sailed from Lebanon towards Egypt carrying detonators for Kassam rockets, radio activation systems for remote control bombs and instruction manuals on how to assemble bomb belts for suicide bombers. On board was a Hezbollah explosives expert bound for Gaza. In May 2001, Hezbollah assisted a smuggling operation intended to equip Ahmed Jibril’s terrorist organization (PFLP-GC). They loaded weapons onto the Santorini fishing boat, which sailed from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip. They managed to make three successful smuggling runs before the IDF intercepted the ship.

Hezbollah’s devotion to Iran doesn’t end with weapons smuggling. The terrorist group carries out terror attacks on Iran’s behalf worldwide. In July 1994, a Hezbollah suicide bomber drove a car with 275 kilograms of explosives in front of the Jewish Community Center in a commercial area of Buenos Aires, and detonated it. The explosion completely destroyed the building. The attack killed 85 people and wounded 300. The official Argentinean investigation determined that the attack was ordered by Iran. Among the decision makers was Ahmad Vahidi, the immediate past Defense Minister of Iran.

The IDF keeps a close watch on Hezbollah’s military advancement and Iran’s continuing efforts to send weapons to the terrorist organization. With 60,000 missiles and other Iranian weapons, Hezbollah presents a major threat to Israel’s security. Four years after seizing Hezbollah’s weapons aboard the Francop, the IDF remains determined to protect Israeli civilians and to stop Hezbollah’s terror.