An Israeli military vessel, file photo
Israel has urged Lebanon to stop a Gaza-bound aid convoy, saying it will use “all necessary means” to stop the humanitarian convoy from reaching the blockaded coastal sliver.
The Israeli navy has deployed ships at sea to stop the Lebanese vessels and commandos from the navy’s Flotilla 13 — known as the Shayetet — are put on standby so that in case it becomes necessary they would board the ships to prevent them from sailing into the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported on Friday.
Two Lebanese vessels are expected to depart in an attempt to break the Gaza blockade and deliver humanitarian supplies to Gazans by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev once again threatened the new convoy in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday.
Tel Aviv will “use all necessary means” to prevent the ships preparing to sail from Lebanon to reach Gaza, Shalev said.
Thursday’s letter was the second warning after Shalev last month wrote another similar letter to the United Nations.
The new threats came as a group of female Lebanese activists announced a plan to send aid ships to Gaza, which has been under siege since 2007. Some 50 Lebanese and foreign activists would be aboard, according to the organizers.
The new aid convoy planned the mission after Israeli commandos on May 31 stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy, killing nine civilian activists and injuring dozens of others.
In the latest challenge to the crippling blockade, Israeli missile ships blocked a Libyan aid ship from steaming to Gaza on July 14.
[PressTV]
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