Israel: Two Iranian warships to pass through Suez canal

Feb 16, 2011, 17:39 GMT

Jerusalem - Two Iranian warships are scheduled to pass through the Suez canal Wednesday night, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, calling it a 'provocation.'

He said it was the first time in 'many years' Iranian warships would sail through the canal.

The ships, he added, were headed for Syria.

'This is a provocation which proves that the Iranians' self-confidence and hutzpa (audacity) are growing by the day,'he told a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.

It came not long after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 'aggressive' remarks against Israel during a visit to Lebanon, he charged.

He accused the world of not showing enough 'readiness to deal with the repeated Iranian provocations.'

'The international community must understand will not be able to ignore these provocations for ever,' he said, adding Israel expected it to act 'with determination' against them.

'Israel is the only US, European and Western ally in the Middle East because it is the only state in the region which shares common values. Our struggle against terrorism isn't only Israel's.'

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