In storage on the base were 98 containers of explosives that had been seized by the United States Navy in 2009 after it intercepted a Cypriot - flagged vessel travelling from Iran to Syria in the Red Sea .
In storage on the base were 98 containers of explosives , which were ignited in the incident . 
 The explosives had been seized by the United States Navy in 2009 after it intercepted a Cypriot - flagged vessel travelling from Iran to Syria in the Red Sea .