(AP)
ISMAILIA, Egypt — Two Iranian warships sailed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean yesterday in what Israel called a “provocation” to further inflame the Mideast.
The frigate Alvand (above) and supply ship Kharqs headed toward Syria, but were expected to remain in international waters as they passed the Israeli coast, coming close to NATO’s southern flank.
Iranian warships have not passed through the Suez Canal since 1979, when the shah was ousted by Islamic fundamentalists.
Egypt is the canal’s gatekeeper, but the country’s new military rulers, who took power from ousted President Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11, appeared to have no choice but to allow the passage.
In Tehran, the deputy commander of the Iranian navy, Brig. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, boasted that the move had “surprised the Zionist regime,” meaning Israel.
“The world should know that the presence of Iranian warships in the Suez Canal has taken place . . . through the deep guidance of the supreme leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] and our young and brave personnel’s self-confidence,” he said.
Deputy Israeli Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said, “It’s an Iranian provocation. When you look at the Middle East, wherever the Iranians weigh in, the situation is not good.
“It certainly does not bode well, but these two ships are not an immediate threat against us.”
The ships are believed to be headed for the Syrian port of Latakia, to take part in a training exercise.
But Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom said the greater Iranian objective “is to signal to the leaders of the Arab world who the new leader is in the Middle East.”
US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, “We will be watching carefully to see where these ships go, and the implications of that.” AP, Reuters