Israel commandos on Tuesday night stormed and commandeered a German-owned cargo ship off the coast of Cyprus after learning that it was carrying weapons to the Hizballah terrorist militia in Lebanon.
It is unknown if the Israelis were prepared for the sheer number of weapons aboard the ship, which military officials said ended up being hundreds of tons worth of mortar shells, anti-tank missiles, Katyusha missiles and other heavy weaponry.
Hizballah later denied any connection to the ship and accused Israel of piracy for taking over the vessel in international waters. The shipping company claimed it had no idea the huge arms cache was hidden among the civilian cargo it was carrying.
Israeli naval officials sail the captured Francop cargo ship into the Port of Ashdod
Crates of weapons hidden behind civilian cargo
Forklifts remove thousands of arms crates from the Francop
Israeli troops checking the crates found aboard the Francop find heavy weaponry
Heavy mortar shells found among the cargo of the Francop
122mm short-range rockets found among the cargo of the Francop