A file photo shows four small boats carrying Israeli navy commandos as they speed into the military port of Ashdod in southern Israel.
Israeli navy is on high alert as a Libyan aid ship heads for the Gaza Strip to break Israel’s naval blockade on the impoverished coastal sliver.
The navy is tracking the ship and has put forces on standby in case it needs to board the vessel, The Jerusalem Post cited Israeli defense ministry sources as saying.
The navy will make contact with the ship while it is still far from Gaza, likely in international waters, and ask it to follow naval vessels into Israeli port of Ashdod, the sources said.
They also noted that Israel has prepared plans to attack the vessel if it refuses or does not agree to sail to Egypt.
Tel Aviv says allowing the ship to go ahead with its mission will have serious consequences for “Israel’s security,” vowing to prevent any seaborne aid fleet from breaking its siege of Gaza.
The Moldovan-flagged cargo ship, the Amalthea, organized by the Tripoli-based Gaddafi International Charity and Development Association, has already set sail from the Greek port of Lavrio and plans to sail directly for Gaza with some 2,000 tons of rice, sugar and corn oil.
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