(Beirut) -- Hezbollah denies an assertion by Israel that a ship it intercepted today was carrying a payload of Iranian-supplied rockets and weapons bound for the guerrilla group.

A statement from the group based in Lebanon said it had no links to the weapons the, quote, "Zionist enemy claims it removed from the vessel." Israeli officials say the weapons were discovered hidden behind civilian goods in more than 40 shipping containers.

The Israeli Navy confiscated the Antigua-flagged "Francop" near the coast of Cyprus.

Israel claims the weapons and crates of bullets were picked up at an Egyptian port and were bound for Syria, and eventually would have reached Lebanon.

Both Syria and Iran deny any involvement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the rockets could have "hit Israeli cities." Three years ago Hezbollah launched more than four-thousand rockets into Israel in the 34-day war.

　

(Copyright 2009 by VERTEXNews/Newsroom Solutions)