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EILAT, Israel (AP) — Israel's prime minister is inspecting dozens of rockets on a ship that navy commandos intercepted in the Red Sea last week, allegedly on the way from Iran to the Gaza Strip.
Benjamin Netanyahu's tour of the seized weapons today is part of a PR blitz aimed at persuading the international community to toughen its position in nuclear talks. Netanyahu says the shipment shows that Iran's new leadership cannot be trusted.
World leaders have shown little reaction to last week's raid, signaling that Netanyahu faces a tough sell.
Iran has denied being behind the shipment, and militant groups in Gaza say they were not connected to the weapons.
Israel believes Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon and fears the negotiations will leave much of Iran's nuclear program intact.
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APPHOTO ASC109: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks as dozens rockets on display after being seized from the Panama-flagged KLOS C civilian cargo ship that Israel intercepted last Wednesday off the coast of Sudan, at a military port in the Red Sea city of Eilat, southern Israel, Monday, March 10, 2014. Israel has alleged the shipment was orchestrated by Iran and was intended for Islamic militants in Gaza, a claim denied by Iran and the rockets' purported recipients. Questions remain, including how the rockets would have been smuggled into Gaza, largely cut off from the world by a border blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (10 Mar 2014)
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APPHOTO ASC107: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, left, examine dozens of mortar shells and rockets on display after being seized from the Panama-flagged KLOS C civilian cargo ship that Israel intercepted last Wednesday off the coast of Sudan, at a military port in the Red Sea city of Eilat, southern Israel, Monday, March 10, 2014. Israel has alleged the shipment was orchestrated by Iran and was intended for Islamic militants in Gaza, a claim denied by Iran and the rockets' purported recipients. Questions remain, including how the rockets would have been smuggled into Gaza, largely cut off from the world by a border blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (10 Mar 2014)
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APPHOTO ASC106: Dozens of mortar shells and rockets are on display after being seized from the Panama-flagged KLOS C civilian cargo ship that Israel intercepted last Wednesday off the coast of Sudan, at a military port in the Red Sea city of Eilat, southern Israel, Monday, March 10, 2014. Israel has alleged the shipment was orchestrated by Iran and was intended for Islamic militants in Gaza, a claim denied by Iran and the rockets' purported recipients. Questions remain, including how the rockets would have been smuggled into Gaza, largely cut off from the world by a border blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (10 Mar 2014)
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APPHOTO ASC105: Israeli naval officer stand next to dozens of rockets on display after being seized from the Panama-flagged KLOS C civilian cargo ship that Israel intercepted last Wednesday off the coast of Sudan, at a military port in the Red Sea city of Eilat, southern Israel, Monday, March 10, 2014. Israel has alleged the shipment was orchestrated by Iran and was intended for Islamic militants in Gaza, a claim denied by Iran and the rockets' purported recipients. Questions remain, including how the rockets would have been smuggled into Gaza, largely cut off from the world by a border blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (10 Mar 2014)
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