Israel's navy has seized a container ship originating in Iran and loaded with arms, including rockets, destined for Syria and Lebanon's Shia group Hizbollah, the Israeli military said yesterday.

The rare pre-dawn interception was seized on by Israeli government officials to underscore their argument that their arch-foe was supplying weapons to militant groups targeting the Jewish state. Israel has warned that Hizbollah has been rearming since the group launched more than 4,000 rockets into its territory during a 34-day war in mid-2006.