Suleiman Hails Army as Questions Rise over UNIFIL’s Failure to Intercept Ship Smuggling Arms to Syria
President Michel Suleiman hailed on Saturday the interception of a ship suspected of delivering weapons to Syria as the Lebanese army issued a statement confirming the incident.
“The army intercepted on Friday Sierra Leone-flagged Lutfallah II ship suspected of carrying weapons and ammunition to Syria,” the statement said.
The army noted that it seized 3 containers containing large quantity of heavy, medium and light ammunition.
“The ship was intercepted and the 11 crew members of various Arab and foreign nationalities were detained,” the statement said, adding that the military police opened an investigation under the supervision of the competent judicial authority.
The vessel, "Lutfallah II", was stopped by the navy off Lebanon's northern coast on Friday and towed to a port near the city of Batroun.
Newspapers on Saturday slammed the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for not play a role in intercepting the ship.
Military sources questioned in comments to As Safir newspaper how the ship could have possibly passed by the UNIFIL naval vessels that are deployed along the Lebanese shore and which are “primarily responsible for uncovering arms smuggling to Lebanon.”
Security sources also wondered if the ship passed by the Israeli navy, which also did not lift a finger to intercept it, knowing that it had detained a ship on April 22 on suspicion that it was smuggling arms from Beirut to Alexandria and later to the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, al-Akhbar newspaper refuted As Safir’s report, saying that the army had intercepted the ship in cooperation with UNIFIL.
Other security sources however refused to speculate if the weapons were in fact headed to Syria, saying that all sides must await the results of the investigation.
State commissioner to the military court Judge Saqr Saqr ordered on Saturday that the 11-member crew be held for further questioning.
Saqr requested that the military police and army intelligence to launch the preliminary investigations.
A security official told Agence France Presse Friday however that the shipment was indeed being delivered to Syria’s rebel army.
The President said later that it is part of the Lebanese state’s decision to prevent the country from being an open ground for the disputes of others.
He added that the achievement is part of “efforts to preserve internal civil peace.”
He lauded the importance of the army and security forces to this end, stressing that they should “remain completely vigilant to deter any attempt to create strife or instability in Lebanon or affect its ties with nearby fraternal states given the situation in the region.”
The military sources told As Safir that a search of the vessel found three containers carrying a number of Kalashnikov and M16 rifles, as well as RPGs.
It also uncovered antiaircraft weapons and TNT explosives.
The ship crew has been arrested and they were referred to army intelligence in al-Qobbeh in the northern city of Tripoli.
The ship has meanwhile been taken to Salaata port where the rest of its cargo has been unloaded and transported to the Jounieh naval base.
The ship was coming from the Egyptian port of Alexandria and was headed to Tripoli.
Tele Liban reported that the ship had first sailed from Libya ahead of arriving at Alexandria and that it is owned by Syrian national Mohammed Khafaja.
It said shipping agent Ahmed Bernard was arrested. The TV network said the ship sailed from Libya under the guise of carrying engines and oils.
The National News Agency reported on Saturday that Bernard and the ten-member crew of the ship have been referred to the judiciary.
Syrian authorities have repeatedly charged that weapons were being smuggled from Lebanon into Syria to assist rebels seeking the ouster of President Bashar Assad.
almost 12 years
lol we just lost our navy :(
almost 12 years
The answer for the questions rise over UNIFIL’s failure to intercept ship smuggling arms to Syria, as well as the failure of the Israeli navy is that
Lebanese navy is more powerfull than both of them combined.
almost 12 years
you must be on some funny drug.
the lebanese navy is made of 5 swimmers and a maitre nageur with a whistle.
almost 12 years
Questions arise about all arms smuggling to Hizbullah. Questions arise about all unchecked explosions in the south.Questions arise about Hizbullah preventing the UNIFIL access to the explosion areas. Questions arise about Hizbullah stirring tensions on the border with Israel, and inviting journalists beforehand to witness the exchange of fire. Questions arise about why the Shebaa farms have been quiet for so long......
almost 12 years
@dimashki just remove bashar...we take care of what reaches hassoun, and his circus.
almost 12 years
Mabrouk ya Libnan and Souriya. Mabrouk la jaysh el ba7riye. Thank God the caught the bastards.
almost 12 years
It is remarkable that the Lebanese navy was not bribed, or did not agree to be bribed, to let the weapons through. Someone in Lebanon (does Hezbullah run the navy?) tood up to the UN, Israel, and EU.
Not physical strength, but moral strength.
almost 12 years
I meant to say, someone in Lebanon (does Hezbullah run the Lebanese navy, too?) stood up to the UN, Israel, and EU. By all of which I mean, of course, the US regime.
almost 12 years
The israeli regime is pro assad dude. If israel was against your bashar he would have been bombed months ago, the regime in syria currently gets away with 100 times more murder than israel did, 1000 palestenians died in all the intifadas combind, 10,000 syrians already died in one year on the hands of your syrian regime. Alawites, israel and hizbustan are currently sleeping in the same bed.
almost 12 years
You are not a Sunni. Your agenda is to create friction between Lebanese Sunnis and Shia. Israel years are numbered and there WILL NOT be any violence between The Lebanese...only toward the NAZI zionists.
almost 12 years
No Arab says that the Syrian regime is 100 times worse than Israel...only the zionist enemy!
almost 12 years
Maybe UNIFEL thought the ship had weapons destined to Hezb and they did not want to cause instability by confiscating it (I am sure they have orders not to mess with HEzb).
almost 12 years
Smugglers keep returning kindness to the syrian regime , for his years of plenty and free supply to Lebanon.. You are Ashraff Il Nass!
almost 12 years
It is quite obvious that there was an agreement between the Israelis and the UN to let the ship pass. As usual though they underestimated our armed forces..well done to our navy...I hope they keep all these weapons they are confiscating, it will circumvent the international decision not to arm our armed forces and we get these weapons for free!!! Keep them coming....
almost 12 years
that was a DECOY guys...trust me...
almost 12 years
Lebanese army is only abu 3antar against the sunis, why dont you just say things as they are guys? does the army dare raid the stockpiles of illegal weapons in lebanon owned by hizbustan? No, the army raids 3ersal, majdel 3anjar, etc. The islamic republic of da7iye is out of touch..for now.. things will change in the future.
almost 12 years
since you are a realist, you obviously know why they don't go after hezbollah. When you have 2 bullies standing and watching your back do you think a defensless child with a slingshot will attack this?
almost 12 years
the Hezballah weapons are used to protect lebanon for iSareli attacks (It attacks sunna as well you know)those weapons were used by salfis to kill othee Lebanese just like they did in 1975, so realisticly : big difference
almost 12 years
Israel and Unifil is only involved in stopping weapons going to the Lebanese resistance. They are not interested in weapons going to the Salafists in Syria to prolong the violence in Syria. If the Lebanese "navy" (Lebanon does not have a navy...what a joke) was able to spot the boat, why didn't the Israeli enemy entity and Unifil spot them???.
almost 12 years
Anyone who have been reading comments on Naharnet can easily tell who are M14 Lebanese like Marc, Peace, and Beiruti and the zionist enemy (you have come up with a better Lebanese name than "helicopter").
almost 12 years
@realist...Hezbollah's weapons are not illegal weapons because consecutive governments since 1992 have legalised them, please don't forget the 2005 ministerial statement created by the February 14 gang...you used Hezbollah to get into power and legalised their weapons...anyway Hezbollahs weapons are not a threat to me and I am a Christian and I support them...they will protect us against extremists...
lol we just lost our navy :(