ISTANBUL

Authorities in Belgium’s Wallonia region have intercepted a shipment of military equipment bound for Israel that arrived at Liege Airport from Switzerland last month, officials confirmed Wednesday.

The operation was first reported by the French-language magazine Le Vif and later confirmed by the office of Walloon Prime Minister Adrien Dolimont, Belga News Agency reported.

On Oct. 9, Dolimont’s Cabinet was alerted to a report by the Swiss news site Heidi.news, which revealed that four crates of potentially sensitive equipment from the Swiss company Swissto12 had departed from Zurich Airport for Liege on Oct. 7.

The cargo, reportedly containing antennas and radio frequency components intended for Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems, was scheduled to remain in transit until Oct. 13. Before it could continue, however, it was halted by customs authorities and the Walloon administration.

A report submitted at the end of October concluded that “a series of elements” indicated the shipment “should indeed be characterized as military equipment.”

The report added that an export license would have been required in Switzerland, and therefore a transit license in Wallonia, neither of which had been obtained.

Dolimont emphasized that Wallonia “does not grant any arms export licenses that would strengthen the military capacity of the armed forces” and remains “extremely vigilant” regarding shipments to Israel and the occupied territories.

Customs officials have been ordered to keep the Swissto12 cargo blocked and to closely monitor all similar transits through Wallonia to Israel.