Israel greeted reports that two Iranian warships heading for Syria had entered the Suez Canal early Tuesday with tense silence, an Israeli defense official said. An Israeli defense official told The New York Times Israel is not happy with the development. An Egyptian official from the Suez Canal Authority was quoted by media outlets saying "two ships entered the Canal on Tuesday at around 5.45." Passage through the Canal can take up to 14 hours. The two ships are the frigate Alvand, reportedly armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles and the supply vessel Kharg that has 250 personnel on board. At Sunday's cabinet meeting Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel views the passage of Iranian warships in the canal gravely and said it was part of Iran's efforts to expand its influence in the region. "We can see what an unstable region we live in, an area in which Iran is trying to take advantage of the situation that has arisen and broaden its influence by transferring two warships via the Suez Canal," Netanyahu said.
