Israeli naval commandos have intercepted a ship carrying weapons about 160 kilometres off Israel's Mediterranean coast.

The Israeli commander says the vessel had hundreds of tonnes of armaments from Iran on board bound for Lebanon's Hizbollah militia. The shipment reportedly included anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles. The ship was sailing under an Antiguan flag in waters near Cyprus.

On Tuesday, an Israeli general said that Hamas had successfully test-fired a rocket out to sea from the Gaza Strip. The rocket is said to have a range of about 60 kilometres, putting Israel's major population centres in range.

Hamas described the claim as false, saying it was designed to mobilise world opinion against the group. On Wednesday, the United Nations General Assembly is discussing a report on Israel's Gaza offensive last December and January which targetted Hamas. The document calls on both sides to investigate allegations of war crimes during the conflict.

photo: Hamas militants (flickr/MATEUS)