Victoria Affair 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 German - owned , Liberian - flagged vessel " Victoria " on the high seas , 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 weapon s , including C - 704 anti - ship missile s , rocket launchers , radar systems , mortar shells and rifle ammunition . Background . 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 MV Francop off the coast of Cyprus , carrying hundreds of tons of weapons . Iran is Hamas ' s main arms provider , smuggling weapons overland through Sudan and Sinai in addition to using the sea route . Operation . Israeli commanders were acting on intelligence reports indicating that 39 of the 100 containers on deck were loaded with Iranian weapons 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 ) . According to the IDF , the ship picked up the cargo in the Port of Latakia in Syria and sailed to Mersin , Turkey . 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 . 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 . 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 . The shipment . Concealed in three containers hidden beneath cotton bags and lentils produced in Syria were the following weapon systems : 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 . In an attempt to mislead would - be inspectors , " Made in Britain " labels were attached to all of the crates . 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 " .