Jerusalem (ANTARA News/Reuters) - Israeli naval forces on Monday released a cargo ship that they had seized in the Mediterranean a day earlier, after a search turned up no weapons, a military official said.

The container ship, identified as the HS Beethoven and flying a Liberian flag, was intercepted about 160 miles (260 km) off Israel on Sunday for what an Israeli military official described as "routine protection of our territorial waters".

The crew did not resist the search, the official said, and there were no injuries or arrests.

Israel routinely patrols the sea for ships suspected of carrying weapons destined for Palestinian militants.

A year ago Israel seized a cargo ship that it said was carrying Iranian-supplied arms intended for the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. (*)

Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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