As if the Middle East doesn't have enough going on at the moment, the Iranians are now sending their warships through the Suez Canal on their way to Syria and to say the Israelis are angry about it would be an understatement.
From the article at The Wall Street Journal:
Iran is sending two warships through the Suez Canal en route to Syria, Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday, calling the act a "provocation" that Israel cannot ignore.
The Iranian plan described by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman would take the warships past Israel's coast. While it would pose no significant military threat to Israel, he said that such a close encounter between forces of the two countries had not occurred in many years.
"Tonight, two Iranian warships are meant to pass through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea and reach Syria," Mr. Lieberman told a group of Jewish leaders in closed-door remarks that a government spokesman later confirmed. The minister said the plan "proves that the self confidence and cheek of the Iranians is growing from day-to-day" following the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.
Now, not only is this little "show" by Iran meant to piss off the Israelis but look at this from the same article:
The report said Israel is concerned by Iranian plans to deploy warships in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The newspaper said no Iranian naval vessel had passed through Suez since Iran's Islamic Republic was established in 1979, causing a bitter rift between Iran and Egypt.
We see how the Iranians and the Egyptians haven't exactly been cozy buddies up to this point.
But what this all means is that there is more and more chaos each day in the Middle East and we are going to see all sorts of positioning by all kinds of leaders and countries and as is usually the case, the Iranians, like buzzards flying over a dead zebra on the African plain, are hovering around ready to seize on any opportunity to expand their power and influence base.
When the hell is SOMEONE gonna finally going to put the Iranians in their place? And in my mind, the Iranians' "place" should be a smoldering one.
Israel: Iran Sending Warships Through Canal
JERUSALEM—Iran is sending two warships through the Suez Canal en route to Syria, Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday, calling the act a "provocation" that Israel cannot ignore.
The Iranian plan described by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman would take the warships past Israel's coast. While it would pose no significant military threat to Israel, he said that such a close encounter between forces of the two countries had not occurred in many years.
"Tonight, two Iranian warships are meant to pass through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea and reach Syria," Mr. Lieberman told a group of Jewish leaders in closed-door remarks that a government spokesman later confirmed. The minister said the plan "proves that the self confidence and cheek of the Iranians is growing from day-to-day" following the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.
"To my regret, the international community is not showing readiness to deal with the recurring Iranian provocations," he added. "The international community must understand that Israel cannot forever ignore these provocations."
Syria is one of Israel's neighboring adversaries and an ally of Iran, whose nuclear program is viewed by Israel as a threat to its existence.
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot, quoting unnamed Israeli security officials, identified the Iranian ships as an MK-5 frigate and a supply vessel. It said they would dock at a Syrian port for a year. The report said Israel is concerned by Iranian plans to deploy warships in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The newspaper said no Iranian naval vessel had passed through Suez since Iran's Islamic Republic was established in 1979, causing a bitter rift between Iran and Egypt.
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