Captured Iranian arms ship 'tip-of-the-iceberg' of vast weapons sealift to Hezbollah"Iran is sending these weapons to terror organizations to harm Israeli cities and kill its citizens," PM Bibi Netanyahu said. "The time has come for the international community to exert real pressure on Iran to stop this criminal activity and to support Israel when it defends itself against these terrorists and their patrons."
Regarding those who may doubt Iran's continual support for terrorist organizations, the prime minister said, "Whoever still needed decisive proof that Iran continues to send weapons to terrorist organizations, received it today in a very clear and unequivocal way." (JPost)
DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources report that a mammoth arms train has been running to Hizballah for months via Egypt. They identify the ship which offloaded the arms shipment at the Egyptian port of Damietta, where it was picked up by the Francop as the Iranian Visea, which is now on its way from the British port of Felixtowe to Hamburg, Germany. An international operation is afoot to apprehend the Iranian ship as of Wednesday, Nov. 4, when Israeli naval forces commandeered the Francop with hundreds of tons of Iranian arms bound for the Lebanese Hizballah near Cyprus. The arms were unloaded at the Israeli naval base at Ashdod port.
Elder of Ziyon: Video of intercepted Hezbollah arms cache
To disguise its vast traffic of illicit arms to Lebanon, Iran has taken to using commercial "feeder" vessels which are frequently seen on regular tours around the Mediterranean ports and arouse little attention. By this route, Hizballah has received thousands of tons of arms and ammunition in the last few months.
IDF Press Spokesman's Conference at The Muqata
Despite Secy of State Hillary Clinton's praise for Israel's progress in mid-east peace negotiations, while PM Netanyahu will fly to Washington to address the UJC Convention (where US Pres. Obama will also be speaking) Mr. Obama has rejected Mr. Netanyahu's invitation to meet one another. Ron Kampeas of JTA writes
If anything, pro-Israel insiders say, the relationship between the Obama and Netanyahu teams is on a good footing and improving. Obama's officials are pleased with the restrictions Israel has lifted in the West Bank; Israel backs Obama's strategy of containing Iran through engagement backed by the threat of far-reaching sanctions.
And the Israeli army and the U.S. European Command carried out a joint exercise Tuesday witnessed by Netanyahu, who called it "an expression of the meaningful relations between Israel and the United States."
So what's behind Obama's reluctance to meet Netanyahu?
Insiders suggested that the U.S. president still feels burned by the summit he had in September at the United Nations in New York with Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that produced no results and led to sniping between the Israeli and Palestinians sides. Obama wants the promise of substance before another meeting takes place.
