Ships with weapons for Syrian rebels intercepted

BEIRUT – The Lebanese navy has reportedly intercepted a ship loaded with three containers of weapons destined for Syrian opposition forces.

The cargo vessel, which originated from Libya, was found on Saturday containing heavy machine guns, artillery shells, rockets, rocket launchers and other explosives, a security official said.


Military prosecutor Saqr Saqr said an investigation was under way, adding that the 11 crew members were being questioned by Lebanese military police.

Another security official said the Sierre Leone-flagged Lutfallah II, was bound for members of the Free Syrian Army, an umbrella group of fighters trying to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president.


The ship’s officers had previously obtained a permit to enter the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon before being stopped by the navy on Thursday night.

The ship was towed to Selaata, a small port some 50km north of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, on Saturday. Three army trucks had reportedly left Selaata for Beirut with the seized cache of weapons, escorted by eight jeeps and a helicopter.

Syrian authorities have repeatedly charged that weapons are being smuggled from Lebanon to rebels fighting to overthrow Assad.

 

The Syrian government and opposition activists traded accusations of violence on Saturday, as a handful of U.N. monitors spread out across the country to assess compliance with a fragile cease-fire.

Rights groups say Syrian forces killed at least 10 people during raids in the Damascus area. Activists also say clashes between government and opposition forces erupted in the Latakia region.


The state-run SANA news agency says a military unit confronted an