The Victoria Affair (code name Operation Iron Law) was a military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in March 2011 in which the Israeli Navy intercepted the vessel Victoria on the international waters in the Mediterranean, and discovered concealed weapons which, according to the IDF, were destined for Palestinian militant organizations in the Gaza Strip. The vessel was found to be carrying approximately 50 tons of weapons, including C-704 anti-ship missiles, rocket launchers, radar systems, mortar shells and rifle ammunition.
Israel maintains a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip to prevent the smuggling of arms into the hands of militant organizations based there. In 2003, Israeli commandos intercepted the Karine A in the Red Sea, and seized 50 tons of missiles, mortars, rifles and ammunition which it said were destined for Gaza. In 2009, the Israeli navy intercepted the Iranian vessel Francop off the coast of Cyprus, carrying hundreds of tons of weapons.[1] Iran is Hamas's main arms provider, smuggling weapons overland through Sudan and Sinai in addition to using the sea route.[2]
Israeli commanders were acting on intelligence reports indicating that 39 of the 100 containers on deck were loaded with Iranian weapons[3] while at port in Syria, and were to be transferred to Hamas. The Victoria was seized about 200 nautical miles from the Israeli coast, while on its way from Turkey to El-Arish port in Egypt (other sources give the destination as Alexandria, Egypt).[3] According to the IDF, the ship picked up the cargo in the Port of Latakia in Syria and sailed to Mersin, Turkey.[4] The ship was intercepted by Israeli Navy missile ships, which radioed the captain and questioned him about his point of origin and planned destination, then informed him that his ship was suspected of carrying illegal cargo, and requested permission to board for an inspection. The captain agreed, and ordered the vessel stopped. Several minutes later, speedboats carrying commandos from Israel's elite naval unit, Shayetet 13, pulled alongside the ship. A ladder was dropped for them to climb aboard. The commandos boarded with their weapons at the ready out of concern that there could be Iranian or Hamas operatives on board. The commandos ordered the crew to assemble on the bridge, and then began inspecting the cargo.[3] The IDF said the ship's crew was unaware it was carrying concealed weapons. The ship was redirected to the Port of Ashdod for further inspection. After the contraband was unloaded, Israel announced it would release the Victoria and allow it to continue its journey to the Egyptian port of Alexandria.[5]
According to the IDF's Deputy Navy Commander Rear Admiral Rani Ben-Yehuda, the weapons may have been transported from Iran to Syria several weeks earlier, when two Iranian warships sailed through the Suez Canal.[6]
Concealed in three containers hidden beneath cotton bags and lentils produced in Syria were the following weapon systems:[7]
According to the IDF, the weapons were accompanied by user manuals in Persian. The packing slip for the 60mm mortar also included a range table for use with a model AZ111-A2 impact fuse, made exclusively by Iran.[8] In an attempt to mislead would-be inspectors, "Made in Britain" labels were attached to all of the crates.[9]
The C-704 missile has a range of 35 kilometers, and a 130 kilogram explosive warhead capable of sinking a 1,000-ton ship. According to The Jerusalem Post, had the six missiles the ship was carrying arrived in the Gaza Strip, they "would have forced the navy to change the way it operates. It now operates just a few kilometers from shore; this would no longer be possible".[3]