Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood before this lethal line-up yesterday to deliver a message: beware Iran. Israel says the missiles were destined for the Gaza Strip when they were seized from a freighter in the Red Sea.

The Netanyahu government says the missiles — including Syrian-made surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 120km — were transported by Iran to be fired at Israel. They could reach Tel Aviv and Herzliya, putting five million people, or 63 per cent of Israel’s population, within range. The cargo also included 181 120mm Iranian-made mortars and 400,000 7.62-calibre bullets.

Mr Netanyahu took the unusual step of publicly thanking Mossad, the country’s external intelligence service that is rarely mentioned in terms of operations.

It seems Mossad had been monitoring the weapons for months. According to Israel, after being transferred from Damascus to Tehran the weapons were moved to a port in southern Iran, then loaded on to the Klos-C, which then sailed to Iraq.

Iran has denied involvement, saying the incident has been fabricated by Israel to capitalise on the anti-Iran sentiment of the recent meeting in Washington of the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton’s visit to Iran. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted: “Captured just in time for annual AIPAC anti-Iran campaign — Amazing co-incidence! Or same failed lies.”

“We didn’t know when Catherine Ashton would be in Tehran,” one Israeli Defence Force officer, standing near the weapons, told The Australian.

Growing lawlessness in Libya and Egypt, and infiltration of the Sinai Peninsula by jihadist groups, means weapons can reach Gaza more easily than before. This will be a growing problem for Israel.