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Gabriel Kohan is a former Israel Government Fellow and Mark Donig is a former Dean’s Fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya’s Program for the Diplomatic Corps. In 1967, after the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) in the Sinai Peninsula abandoned its position as Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser postured toward armed conflict with Israel, then-Israeli Ambassador to the U.N., Abba Eban, compared UNEF to “an umbrella that is taken away as soon as it begins to rain.” The international community, rather than use its leverage, willingly cowed to Egypt, and war soon followed. Today, Eban’s sentiments could be aptly applied to...

The two Iranian naval ships which crossed the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Tuesday morning are carrying "advanced Hezbollah weapons," Maariv Israeli paper reported on Wednesday, citing sources. The sources told the paper, "Estimates indicate the two ships are carrying missiles of different range, rifles, ammunition, and night-vision gear... The voyage of the two ships is an Iranian attempt to go around the arms embargo on Hezbollah." The paper also said that it is believed the voyage is an attempt on the part of the Iranians to "test the waters" with and gauge the responses of the Egyptian Supreme Military...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Navy warships are keeping a close eye on two Iranian warships expected to make a rare passage through the Suez Canal, a U.S. spokesman says. "If the ships move through the canal, we will evaluate what they actually do," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. "It's not really about the ships. It's about what the ships are carrying, what's their destination, what's the cargo on board, where's it going, to whom and for what benefit."

Israel was keeping an eye Tuesday on two Iranian Navy warships that crossed the Suez Canal for the first time in over 30 years in a belligerent move that Israel claims is an attempt by the Islamic Republic to project its power throughout the Middle East. The two ships - the Khark which has 250 crew members and can carry three helicopters and the Alvand which is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles – entered the Suez Canal early Tuesday morning and arrived in the Mediterranean Sea by the evening.Israeli defense officials said that the ships did not pose a

The repeated delays and contradictory statements about the two Iranian warships' transit of the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean is accounted for by a standoff between the Iranian flotilla and five US warships deployed in recent days at the waterway's southern entrance and along its course, debkafile's sources disclose. Thursday night, Feb. 17, the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, escorted by missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and the fast supply ship USNS Arctic, headed south through the canal. By Friday morning, they were through and taking up position opposite the Kharg cruiser and Alvand missile destroyer of the Iranian Navy's 12th...

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shook up residents at the entrance to the Suez Canal early Monday morning, 48 hours before two Iranian ships, a frigate and a supply vessel, are expected to enter the canal. The National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research reported that tremors from the 3 a.m. quake lasted for 27 minutes, but caused no damage.

CAIRO – Suez Canal officials say two Iranian naval vessels are expected to start their passage through the strategic waterway early Tuesday.

The passage of two Iranian naval ships through the Suez Canal has been put back to Wednesday, a canal official said on Sunday as Israel expressed its grave concern about the Mediterranean-bound vessels. "The shipping agent handling the two Iranian warships has told the canal administration to push back their passage by two days," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. He did not elaborate on the reasons for the delay, but confirmed that the new day of passage through the waterway that links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea would be Wednesday. Reportedly bound for Syria on...

CAIRO (AP) — Iran‘s first attempt in decades to send warships through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean on Europe’s — and NATO’s — southern flank could further destabilize the Middle East, a region already reeling from an unprecedented wave of anti-government rebellions.

Two Iranian warships are headed towards the Suez Canal en route to Syria with Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman hinting the Jewish State may respond. Lieberman said in a speech: "Israel cannot forever ignore these provocations." Israel has long accused Iran and Syria of providing weapons to Islamist groups seeking its elimination.

Two Iranian naval ships passed through the Suez Canal on Sunday, Iranian media reported, following conflicting reports and speculations on whether or not Egypt's ruling military would approve the move. "Two Iranian warships have passed through the canal and are heading towards a Syrian port," Al Alam said. Israel has called their passage through the canal "provocative".

~ EXCERPT ~ (Reuters) - Two Iranian naval ships will sail through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean on Monday, a Suez Canal official said, in what will be the first passage of Iranian naval ships through the canal since 1979. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has described Iran's plan to send the ships through the canal en route to Syria as a "provocation." The official said the vessels would arrive at the southern mouth of the canal in the Red Sea's Gulf of Suez on Sunday. They would enter the canal in the northern convoy on Monday morning and...

(Reuters) - Iranian state TV said on Thursday two Iranian warships are due to pass through the strategic Suez Canal -- an event that would mark the first such passage by the Islamic republic's navy since Iran's 1979 revolution. A similar plan was announced on Wednesday but then canceled.

CAIRO — Two Iranian naval vessels have submitted a request to transit the Suez Canal, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said Egyptian authorities have received the request to grant the vessels passage, while a Suez Canal official said the Defense Ministry would process the application. In Tehran, Iran's official English-language Press TV cited an Iranian naval official saying the two warships are to pass through the canal. The official said Tehran was in contact with Egypt about the ships.

CAIRO — A senior Suez Canal official says two Iranian warships have withdrawn their application to transit the waterway following expressions of concern by Israel over the plans. The official said no reason was given for Thursday's decision to withdraw the application. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, also said it was not known if the vessels intended to transit the waterway at a later date.

CAIRO - Egypt has agreed to allow two Iranian naval vessels to transit the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, a military official said Friday, ending several days of confusion over their planned passage, which Israel's foreign minister has labeled a provocation. An Iranian diplomat has said the vessels were heading to Syria for training and that the request to move through the canal is in line with international regulations. It would be the first time since Iran's clerical rulers came to power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that naval vessels from the country have passed through the canal to the...

USS ENTERPRISE, Red Sea (NNS) -- Enterprise Carrier Strike Group (CSG) transited the Suez Canal and entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR), Feb. 15. Enterprise transited the canal along with guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8). "Our ability to use the Suez Canal in a routine manner and according to long-standing plans demonstrates the ongoing stability of this important waterway," said Rear Adm. Terry B. Kraft, commander, Enterprise CSG. The 120-mile Suez Canal, constructed in 1869, runs north to south across the Isthmus of Suez in...

As the Middle East violence continues, we move on to Bahrain for a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi forces are battling Shiite protesters in the streets. Naturally the media is misreporting this as government atrocities against democracy protesters. When actually it's another Sunni-Shiite civil war in another Sunni country with a Shiite majority. If this reminds you of Iraq, you're pretty close. Except that Bahrain is more like Dubai with its own royal family, a business culture built on its proximity to Iran, and much of the country is actually foreign workers brought in by oil revenues....

Iran has been seeking to establish that it is the hegemonial power in the Middle East. Its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave an interview to the Iranian daily Ressalat on July 7, 1991, and asked a rhetorical question: "Do we look to preserve the integrity of our land, or to we look to its expansion?" He then answered his own question: "We must definitely look to expansion.” And indeed, in the years that followed, Iranian forces have been involved in regional subversion from Lebanon to Saudi Arabia and most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. Khamenei's spokesman, Hossein Shariatmadari, wrote...

Headline only.

The Suez Canal has been told that plans by two Iranian naval ships to cross the waterway were cancelled, an official said on Thursday, removing a potential policy headache for Egypt's new army rulers. But the Iranian state television said that Egyptian authorities saw "nothing wrong" with the warships passage through the canal.

Yesterday, news broke that Iran would be trying to send two warships through the Suez Canal, both marking their increased ability to move with the fall of the Mubarak presidency and in order to show Israel just how close their navy can get. Early reports today stated that Egypt would not let the ships past and, therefore, the movement was canceled. Now new reports from Iran's Press TV state that not only will Iran still be trying to send their warships through the Suez Canal, but that they are working with "Egyptian officials" to make it happen. Talking about the...

Cairo - Egypt's new military rulers faced their first unwelcome diplomatic exposure on Wednesday as Israel reported that two Iranian warships were approaching the Suez Canal to pass through for the first time since 1979. (Snip) "For warships to pass through the canal, approval from the ministry of defense and the ministry of foreign affairs is needed and this applies to all warships owned by any country," a Canal official told Reuters. No notice had been given so far. Neil Partrick, an independent UK-based Middle East expert, said he presumed Iran decided on the ships' mission before Egypt was engulfed

Israel is monitoring two Iranian warships about to pass through the Suez Canal for Syria and warn they might act. Israeli's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman says that "Israel cannot ignore these provocations," according to ynetnews.com. "Unfortunately, the international community is not ready to deal with Iran's repeated provocations," Lieberman said, according to the Jerusalem Post. Lieberman added that the warships was "a provocation that proves Iran's nerve and self-esteem is growing from day to day." Iran announced plans to deploy warships near Israel and dock at a Syrian port for a year, IsraelNationalNews.com reports. A senior Israeli official tells the...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Two Iranian warships planned to sail through the Suez canal en route to Syria on Wednesday, Israel's foreign minister said, calling the move the latest "provocation" by Tehran and hinting at an Israeli response. Israel sees a major threat in Iran's nuclear programme and calls for its elimination, but the countries' geographical distance has kept them from open confrontation. Syria is one of Israel's neighboring foes and an ally of Tehran.

NewsCore - JERUSALEM -- Iran is sending two warships into the Mediterranean Sea, Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday, calling the act a "provocation" the Jewish state could not ignore for long.

There Are Report Of Iranian Warships In The Suez Canal, And Oil Just Spiked Joe Weisenthal Feb. 16, 2011, 11:35 AM Something to watch. There are headlines going around that there are Iranian warships in the Suez Canal (viz ZeroHedge). Apparently the warships are headed for Syria, and Israel has even hinted at retaliation. Oil just shot straight up.[snip]

And here we go: Suez Canal Company workers from the cities of Suez, Port Said, and Ismailia began an open-ended sit in today. Disruptions to shipping movements, as well as disasterous econmic losses, are expected if the strike continues. Over 6000 protesters have agreed that they will not go home today once their shift is over and will continue their in front of the company's headquarters until their demands are met. They are protesting against poor wages and deteriorating health and working conditions.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt plans to build a $1 billion tunnel under the Suez Canal at Port Said and will begin seeking finance as soon as the designs are completed, Al-Akhbar newspaper on Monday quoted the investment minister as saying. The tunnel, to be built 19 km (12 miles) south of the Canal's northern entrance, will have 3 passageways, one for rail and two for cars, the newspaper quoted Mahmoud Mohieldin as telling a conference in Dahab in the eastern Sinai Peninsula. The conference was called to discuss investment in the cities along the canal and in the Sinai, which...

Bedouin tribesman have reportedly taken control of two towns in the Sinai Peninsula. These two towns are the closest to the Gaza Strip and right next to the border with Israel. There were reports yesterday that Bedouin tribes had besieged a police station in Suez and it appears that these riots have spread. This would effectively end the Mubarak dictatorship’s control of the region. There are no reports of the Egyptian military stepping in here. The more disturbing news is a threat that has been made by the tribes if Mubarak does not step down. According to one report coming...

Thousands of Egyptian protesters stormed the main police station Friday in the port city of Suez, overwhelming security authorities and raising an even bigger challenge to the embattled regime of President Hosni Mubarak. The protesters freed prisoners from the city jail and destroyed armored police vehicles, then sacked the building and looted its contents. The demonstrators emerged from Friday prayers at mosques in Suez and confronted police officers outside the station. Police fired at the demonstrators, who then surged forward to take over the station. The protesters dragged fleeing riot officers off their motorbikes and seized their batons and equipment....

Mubarak orders army to back police against unrestShaimaa Fayed and Yasmine Saleh, Reuters January 29, 2011, 3:16 am CAIRO (Reuters) - President Hosni Mubarak imposed a curfew and ordered troops to back up police as they struggled to control crowds who flooded the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities on Friday to demand that he step down. In unrest never before seen during Mubarak's 30 year-rule, police and demonstrators fought running street battles. Dozens of people were wounded as security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon at the crowds and baton charged them. The protesters hurled...

Security sources say Israel and Iran are conducting rival intelligence operations in Eritrea, the poor African state on the Red Sea. The Israelis fear Eritrea could be a flashpoint if Iranian Revolutionary Guards continue to ship arms to militants in Gaza via the Eritrean port of Assab. Israel is said to have two Eritrean bases, one a “listening post” for signals intelligence, the other a supply base for its German-built submarines. In Sudan in February, Israeli drones thought to be based in Eritrea attacked an arms convoy bound for Hamas militants in Gaza, and several Revolutionary Guards escorting the convoy...

Iranian ships and submarines have deployed an undisclosed number of Iranian troops and weapons at the Eritrean port town of Assab, according to opposition groups, foreign diplomats, and NGOs in the area. The city of Assab sits at the Horn of Africa in the Arabian Sea. As such, Assab offers a strategic position as the world nervously eyes the precarious routes through which a seaborne oil traverses daily. Local sources have reported that Iran recently sent soldiers and a large number of long-range and ballistic missiles. The military basing came after Iran signed an accord with Eritrea to revamp the...

A leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt told the Arabic-language Iranian news network Al-Alam on Monday that he would like to see the Egyptian people prepare for war against Israel, according to the Hebrew-language business newspaper Calcalist. Muhammad Ghannem reportedly told Al- Alam that the Suez Canal should be closed immediately, and that the flow of gas from Egypt to Israel should cease “in order to bring about the downfall of the Mubarak regime.” He added that “the people should be prepared for war against Israel,” saying the world should understand that “the Egyptian people are prepared for...

A leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt told the Arabic-language Iranian news network Al-Alam on Monday that he would like to see the Egyptian people prepare for war against Israel, according to the Hebrew-language business newspaper Calcalist. Muhammad Ghannem reportedly told Al- Alam that the Suez Canal should be closed immediately, and that the flow of gas from Egypt to Israel should cease “in order to bring about the downfall of the Mubarak regime.” He added that “the people should be prepared for war against Israel,” saying the world should understand that “the Egyptian people are prepared for...

As the world watches the chaos in Egypt continue, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the major political groups fighting for power, has now greatly increased tension in the reason. Muhammad Ghannem told an Iranian news network that if he and the Muslim Brotherhood had his way, the Suez Canal would be closed immediately. This would not only hurt capital coming in for the Mubarak government, but it would have further repercussions, as one-third of the world's oil is transported through the canal. This could increase the price of oil and gas substantially. Continuing, Ghannem stated that...

If free passage through the canal were threatened, would you favor or oppose U.S. military action to keep it open? Oppose – Rather than put Americans in harm’s way, let’s once and for all make the U.S. independent of foreign oil. Undecided – I’m concerned about what effect a closed Suez would have on our economy, but I’m not sure I’d want to risk American lives. Favor – We must not let this strategically important route fall into the wrong hands. Do whatever is necessary to keep it open. Other (post your comment).

Has anyone else noticed, amid the continuous coverage of the unfolding events in Egypt, that there is hardly any coveage/discussion as to what to do about the Suez Canal?There is more talk/concern about the Pyramids and the Nation Museum than the implication of the Canal being either temporarily closed or, worse, if Egypt does end up, as some have surmised, like another Iran, under the control of a radical Muslim regime. Scary, eh? So what to do..

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Tanker stocks surged Friday as investors speculated that the civil unrest in Egypt could lead to a shutdown of the Suez Canal, an incident that would likely spark a sharp uptick in demand for ships.

Shockingly, the "pundits" have suddenly realized that courtesy of the upheaval in Suez, the canal with the same name may be closed, which would wreak havoc on shipping costs. Once again, Zero Hedge was just ahead of the curve: "Egyptian Stock Market Plunges Over 11% To Fresh Multi-Year Lows; Is A Suez Canal Transit Halt Imminent?" The just announced countrywide curfew will not make Suez Canal operability any easier. For those who are concerned about what a Suez closure means, we recreate what we wrote previously on the topic. And just in from Reuters, Energy Secretary Steven Chu has declined...

Starting in the late 1990s, China's presence on the African continent experienced a phenomenal expansion. Far more profound changes, however, have been underway and may only become apparent in the next decade. These changes are likely to transform the regional economic landscape of the African continent in ways never seen before. Chinese experts apparently believe that Africa is entering an era of relative stability and that the time to explore its untapped resources has arrived [1]. Chinese policymakers see in Africa possible solutions to some of China's most pressing problems, for instance, Beijing's need to secure access to energy resources...

Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal as an Iranian flotilla approaches Gaza. Egypt closed the canal to protect the ships with thousands of soldiers, according to the British-based Arabic language newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi. One day prior to the report on Saturday, Voice of Israel government radio reported that the Egyptian government denied an Israeli request not to allow the Iranian flotilla to use the Suez Canal to reach Gaza, in violation of the Israeli sea embargo on the Hamas-controlled area. International agreements require Egypt to keep the Suez open...

Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) entered the 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) June 18 after completing a successful transit through the Suez Canal. Truman CSG is relieving Dwight D. Eisenhower CSG as part of a routine rotation of forces during a scheduled deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and theater security cooperation (TSC) efforts in the region. "I am very proud of the men and women of the Truman Carrier Strike Group as we join the 5th Fleet," said Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, commander, Carrier Strike Group 10. "We have trained hard...

Egypt opposition angered at government for allowing the fleet of more than 12 ships to cross Egyptian manned waterway, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reports. By Jack Khoury More than twelve United States Naval warships and at least one Israeli ship crossed the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on Friday, British Arabic Language newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported Saturday. According to the report, thousands of Egyptian soldiers were deployed along the Suez Canal guarding the ships' passage, which included a U.S. aircraft carrier. The Suez Canal is a strategic Egyptian waterway which connects between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. According to...

SNIPPET: "The navy will operate under the assumption that groups of provocateurs are aboard any future ships that try to break the Israel-imposed sea blockade on the Gaza Strip, Deputy Commander of the Navy Rear-Admiral Rani Ben-Yehuda told The Jerusalem Post on Monday."

TEHRAN, June 14 - Iran is sending aid ships to blockaded Gaza, state radio said on Monday -- a move likely to be considered provocative by Israel which accuses Tehran of arming the Palestinian enclave's Islamist rulers, Hamas. One ship left port on Sunday and another will depart by Friday, loaded with food, construction material and toys, the report said. The boats would be part of international efforts to break Israel's isolation of the Gaza Strip. "Until the end of the Gaza blockade, Iran will continue to ship aid," said an official at Iran's Society for the Defence of the...

SNIPPET: "Majlis National Security Committee chairman Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Egyptian parliament, Muhammad Al-Fiqi, has authorized the members of the Iranian flotilla, which is to arrive via the Suez Canal, to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. Boroujerdi clarified that this flotilla, which includes Majlis members, is distinct from the one being organized by the Iranian Red Crescent."

Mistaking the number 1 for a 7 on a navigation chart caused a British nuclear submarine to crash into an underwater rock in the Red Sea, a court martial heard. The May 2008 accident, 80 miles south of Suez, Egypt, badly damaged the Swiftsure class hunter-killer submarine, rendering it unfit for operations and forcing its return to England, The Sun reported Monday. Cmdr. Steven Drysdale and two other officers testified they misread their charts, which showed the rock's depth at 132 meters (433 feet), thinking it was much deeper at 732 meters (2,400 feet), the newspaper said. All three officers...

Egyptians reported that two Israeli warships passed through the Suez canal recently. The two ships are believed headed for the Persian Gulf, where Israeli ships have been mapping the local waters, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. For years, Egypt would not allow Israeli submarines to pass through the Suez canal. But last June, an Israeli submarine went through the Suez canal and conducted naval exercises in the Red Sea. Israel said that the sub would not be stationed in the Red Sea, but would return to its Mediterranean base. There were reports that an Israeli missile boat passed through...