Two Iranian ships that sailed through the Suez Canal on Saturday have now put down anchor at a Syrian port, raising eyebrows in Israel.
IRNA reported yesterday that the two warships passed through Egypt’s Suez Canal, the second time Iranian navy forces have done so in the past three decades.
Last year, days after the fall of former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, Iranian warships made their first trip through the Suez Canal since the 1979 Revolution in Iran.
Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told the Mehr News Agency: “As the Navy affected the region with its presence in the Mediterranean Sea last year, the Navy’s 18th fleet will in the best way carry the message of peace and friendship to regional countries, and display the might of the country and the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The purpose of the stop at the Syrian port has been officially described as “the training of Syrian naval forces agreed upon in an earlier treaty.”
Iran remains one of the closest allies of the Beshar Assad regime, despite the growing protests in Syria.
The Iranian warships’ trip through the Suez comes as tensions between Iran and Israel have reached a new high, with speculation over a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Recently, Israel has also accused Iran of involvement in terrorist attacks on Israeli targets in India, Georgia and Thailand.
