(IsraelNN.com) Brigadier-General Rani Ben-Yehudah, Head of Navy Staff, said Wednesday that the ship apprehended in a raid by an elite IDF unit was carrying “ten times and more” than the amount of weapons that was on the Karine A when that ship was apprehended in 2002.

Videos from IDF Spokesman's Unit: IDF forces discover munitions hidden inside the ship (1), ship brought to dock (2), unloading and unpacking weapons (3).

Ben-Yehudah briefed reporters on Operation “Arbaat HaMinim” in which naval special reconnaissance unit Shayetet 13 raided the ship, named Francop, near Cyprus and seized containers with hundreds of tons of rockets, missiles and ammunition meant for delivery to Hizbullah.

“We are certain the crew did not know what it was carrying,” Ben Yehudah said.

The ammunition and missiles on board the ship would have been enough for Hizbullah to use in an entire month's worth of fighting against Israel, he estimated.

The naval operation took place about 180 km west of Israel's Mediterranean coast, after intelligence units followed the ship for several days. The Shayetet 13 force used small boats to approach the ship and met no resistance. 

The Francop after being seized: photo provided by IDF Spokesman's Unit