Two Years On: The “Victoria” Weapon-Smuggling Interception
Two years ago today, the Victoria set sail from a port in Syria, loaded with Iranian-made weapons bound for Gaza and the terrorist group Hamas. When IDF soldiers boarded the Victoria, they found:
230 mortar shells, 120 mm
2,270 mortar shells, 60 mm
6 C-704 anti-ship missiles
2 radar systems manufactured in England
2 launchers
2 hydraulic mounting cranes for radar system
66,960 Kalashnikov bullets, 7.62 millimeter
The C-704 shore-to-sea missiles have a range of 35 kilometers. If the IDF had not acted and the weapons had arrived in Gaza, terror organizations operating there would have gained significantly in their ability to strike Israeli ships. The weaponry would have directly threatened the Israeli Navy and civilian vessels at the port of Ashdod.
Most of the weapons on board were made in Iran. IDF soldiers also discovered instruction manuals for weapons, written in Farsi, with the emblems of Iran and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on their front covers.
יחי עם ישראל