The Israeli navy on Monday prevented a Libyan cargo ship from breaking its naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
An Israeli warship contacted the Libyan vessel via radio and convinced it to turn around without the use of force.
Meanwhile, hundreds of spectators, journalists and dockhands at the Gaza City Port waited in vain.
Earlier this year, Israel allowed two small boats carrying international peace activists to reach Gaza, fearing that a confrontation with the highly publicized voyages would give the international community another excuse to sanction the Jewish state.