Lebanese Navy intercepts arms bound for Syria

The Lebanese navy intercepted a Libyan vessel on Friday carrying weapons suspected of being delivered to Syrian rebels, AFP reported on Saturday.

Sierra Leone-flagged Lutfallah II carried a cargo that included heavy machine guns, artillery rounds, rockets, rocket launchers and other explosives, a Lebanese official said.

The Lutfallah II reportedly docked in Alexandria en route from Libya before being stopped and searched in the port of Selaata, 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Beirut.

Military intelligence officers in Tripoli questioning detained the captain and crew for questioning.

The Syrian government has repeatedly claimed the rebels fighting President Bashar Assad are being armed with weapons shipped from other countries including Lebanon.

Significant quantities of arms have been smuggled out of Libya since the ouster of the late dictator Col. Muammar Gaddafi last year. Rockets, small arms, and ammunition have made their way to the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip.