Ashdod , Israel ( CNN ) -- The Israeli military displayed mortar shells , ammunition and surface-to-sea missiles in Ashdod on Wednesday , ordnance that officials said was seized from a ship bound for Gaza . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the weapons `` originated in Iran , went through Syria , and they were en route to terror organizations in Gaza , but their ultimate target was the Israeli civilian population . '' `` Every day , new attempts are made by Iran and by Syria to smuggle weapons into Lebanon to Hezbollah , to Gaza to Hamas and to other terror organizations , '' he said . Accompanying Netanyahu for the display were Defense Minister Ehud Barak and army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gans , among other officials . Israeli commandos intercepted a ship 200 miles off the coast Tuesday . The `` Victoria '' is German-owned and Liberian-flagged , with an international crew . The ship had 1,000 containers aboard , the army said , and three were found to be carrying the weapons . Israeli officials say the containers were loaded in the Syrian port of Latakia , where a false manifest indicated that they were carrying lentils.The ship made a stop in Turkey before heading for the Egyptian port of Alexandria , where the containers were to be unloaded . Lt. Col. Avital Leibowitz , spokeswoman for the Israel Defense Forces , said the military believes that these weapons were intended to be smuggled into Gaza through the numerous tunnels between the Egyptian Sinai desert and the coastal strip , which is governed by Hamas . Among the weapons were six C-704 surface-to-sea missiles with two launchers , along with a British-manufactured radar command and control system . According to Israeli military analyst Ron Ben Ishai , the introduction of this weapon would have added strategic significance to those battling Israel . `` Had this shipment gone through to Alexandria and then to one of the Palestinian organizations in Gaza , it would have given them the capability that does not exist today , that is , to hit the Israeli navy at a distance of 35 kilometers , '' he said . Along with the missiles , the Israeli army says , it found 230 120-mm mortar shells , 2,200 60-mm mortar shells and 66,960 Kalashnikov rifle rounds .
Three containers of weapons found aboard ship Tuesday , officials say . Mortar shells , surface-to-sea missiles among weapons displayed . Comment: