Israel accuses Iran of arming Hizballah by sea

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations has accused Iran of arming Lebanese militant group Hizballah, local media reported.

Danny Danon told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that Tehran has been smuggling the arms to the group by sea amid tensions between the US, Britain and Iran in the Gulf.

"Israel found that dual-use items are smuggled into Lebanon to advance Hizballah’s rocket and missile capabilities," Danon said.

"The Port of Beirut has become the Port of Hizballah," he said.

Danon also accused Syrian and Lebanese officials of aiding the shipments.

Israeli officials told Haaretz on Monday that Israeli airstrikes on Iranian and Hizballah targets have prompted Iran to ship some weaponry by sea.

Israel has vowed to keep Iran and its ally Hizballah from entrenching themselves militarily in Syria.

Over the past 13 years, Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes against suspected weapons shipments from Iran through Syria to Lebanon and has engaged in several dust-ups.

The Lebanese Shia group battled Israel to a stalemate in a month-long war in 2006.

Tensions have soared in the Gulf in the last weeks as Iran ramped up its controversial nuclear programme following the US pullout from a 2015 deal on Iran's atomic drive signed by world powers in Vienna.

Iran seized the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero on Friday in the Gulf's strategic Strait of Hormuz.

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