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| Middle East | |
| Israel Seizes Arms Boat Off Lebanon-Sources | |
| 2003-05-22 | |
| Didn't know whether to post in Syria-Lebanon or M.E.; small version of the Karine-A, glad to see Abbas has the roadmap well in hand, except he's reading it upside down Israel's navy seized a fishing boat loaded with arms being smuggled by Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas off northern Israel and towed it to the port of Haifa, security sources said Thursday. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed that a vessel had been captured near Haifa, about 21 miles south of the border with Lebanon, and linked it to "recent terrorist activity." He did not mention that there were any arms on board. There was no immediate word on the vessel's point of origin or destination, but the sources said the boat, intercepted on Wednesday, had a weapons cache only a fraction the size of the 50 tons seized on a freighter in the Red Sea in January 2002. The Dubai-based satellite television station al-Arabiya reported that the weapons were bound for Palestinians. It said Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz would give details of the incident later Thursday. If the arms were bound for Palestinian areas, as was last year's shipment, it would deal another blow to a new U.S.-backed peace plan already battered by violence. Which "the Palestinians have accepted, but Sharon hasn't" of course The United States has asked Syria to rein in Damascus-based Palestinian militant groups and Hezbollah. The security sources said Israeli naval commandos captured at least two members of Hezbollah when they boarded the rickety, 23-foot-long boat. Asked about the reported seizure of the boat, a Lebanese security official said: "We know nothing about the subject."
Word of the seizure was kept under military censorship overnight while authorities interrogated their prisoners. | |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #4 In Yassholes cabinet it is. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-05-22 14:40:22 |
| #3 A Palestinian Authority official is among those captured on board the boat. He was identified as Adel Almairibi, who is charge of weapons smuggling for the PA ...would that be an officially listed cabinet position, by any chance? |
| Posted by: Dripping sarcasm 2003-05-22 13:26:44 |
| #2 Well, I guess you won't mind if we sink it, then... |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-05-22 12:18:59 |
| #1 JPost update: A Palestinian Authority official is among those captured on board the boat. He was identified as Adel Almairibi, who is charge of weapons smuggling for the PA |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-05-22 12:08:11 |