Israel captures arms-laden cargo ship

Army says weapons tied to Palestinians

The raid was carried out by helicopters and boats filled with soldiers who descended on the vessel under the cover of darkness, apparently surprising the crew in what Mofaz described as a "daring and complicated" mission dubbed "Noah's Ark."

No shots were fired, he said. The ship and crew were being escorted into Eilat last night.

Mofaz said that soldiers have inventoried only 10 percent of the contents but had found thousands of rifles, ammunition, mortar shells, anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, mines and Katyusha rockets.

The Israeli army has long been concerned that Palestinian militants would increase the range of their rockets. Most of their weapons are limited to makeshift mortars with a range of several hundred yards.

But there has been evidence of greater firepower and range, with some mortars able to cover the several miles from Bethlehem to the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. Katyusha rockets have a 10- to 12-mile range, and are similar to what militants used in Lebanon to terrorize Israeli border communities.

Israeli officials said they were stunned not just by the amount of weapons but by the sophisticated way they were packed. The metal tubes could be pressurized to different levels depending on the depth of the water. Once submerged, they needed only to be hoisted by someone at the buoys.