Israel Iran Showdown Over Warships Now Heading To Syria

Israel Iran Showdown Over Warships Now Heading To Syria


JERUSALEM — Israel warned on Wednesday that two Iranian warships were poised to pass through the Suez Canal en route to Syria, something it called a provocation that had not happened in years.

The first word came from Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in an address to a group of U.S. Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. The speech, which hinted at a possible response, was closed to reporters, but Lieberman's office issued a statement afterward with a partial text of what he said.

"Tonight, two Iranian warships are meant to pass through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea and reach Syria, something that has not happened in many years," Lieberman said.

He noted that the move came on top of another provocation, an October visit to southern Lebanon by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad was warmly welcomed there by Hezbollah, the militant Shiite group that is one of Israel's main enemies.

"Unfortunately, the international community is not showing readiness to deal with the recurring Iranian provocations," Lieberman said. "The international community must understand that Israel cannot ignore these provocations forever."

Later, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, in a somewhat lower-key statement from his office, added: "Israel is closely monitoring the movement of the Iranian ships and has updated friendly states on the issue. Israel will continue to monitor the movement of the ships."

A member of the Suez board said that warships could pass through the canal only on the approval of the Egyptian Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministries and that the canal authority had received no notice of such expected movement. However, he added, that notice sometimes came only hours in advance.

Asked about Israeli comments, P.J. Crowley, the State Department spokesman, acknowledged that there were "two ships in the Red Sea" that the United States was watching, but he declined to say more, hedging when asked directly if the ships were Iran's.

Reuters reported a possible purpose for the ships' movement, noting that Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency reported Jan. 26 that Iranian Navy cadets had been dispatched on a yearlong training mission to defend cargo ships and oil tankers against Somali pirates. That report said they would travel via the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea and on through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean.

Lieberman said the movement of Iranian warships through the canal added to the decline in regional security. He said Israel's fight against Iranian-sponsored violence was not its alone, but the responsibility of the entire Western world.

Israel has long accused Iran and Syria of providing missiles to Hezbollah, with which it fought a war in 2006. Israeli military officials said recently that Hezbollah had some 45,000 rockets and missiles buried underground that could be fired at Israel.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700110812/Iranian-warships-to-pass-through-Suez-Canal-Israel-says.html?s_cid=rss-5