**Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has denied Israeli allegations it was the intended recipient of weapons on board a ship seized by Israel’s military.**Hezbollah also called the interception of the ship, which was boarded near Cyprus, an act of “piracy”.
Israel said the arms cache, which it said was one of the biggest it had ever found, came from Iran and was bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon, via Syria.
Both Iran and Syria have denied the Israeli accusations.
The Francop, an Antiguan-flagged vessel, was boarded on Wednesday and towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
The ship had been carrying rockets, hand grenades, mortars and at least 3,000 missiles, the Israeli military said.
Weapons haul reveals fragile calm
It also said cargo certificates backed its claims, though it did not show the documents.
But on Thursday Hezbollah issued a stiff denial.
“Hezbollah staunchly denies any link to the weapons that the Zionist enemy has seized from the Francop ship,” said a statement from the group reported by AFP news agency.
“At the same time Hezbollah denounces Israel’s piracy in international waters,” it said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the arms had been intended to strike Israeli cities.
Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006 during which about 1,200 people were killed in Lebanon and about 160 in Israel.
Iran and Syria are widely held to be the main sponsors of Hezbollah.