INS Sa'ar 5
A firm massage to Iran? Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported Tuesday that two Israeli warships crossed Egypt's Suez Canal. According to reports, the two vessels and a French ship left Port Said in the north. The destination of the ships is unclear. The IDF has yet to comment on the report.
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The two warships, INS Lahav and INS Yafo arrived at Port Said accompanied by a French vessel "Imidisi", where they joined a fleet.
The Suez sailing supervisor, Ahmed el-Manhali, said that the crossing took 14 hours, and that the ships were accompanied by a Suez authority tow ship for security purposes.
Last month, two Iranian ships crossed the canal, in an act perceived by Israel as provocation. It was the second time within a year that Iranian ships had crossed the canal. The first time was shortly after the ouster of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.
The last time Israeli naval vessels reportedly crossed the canal was in 2009. Two IDF warships sailed across the canal from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. The source said the vessels were the INS Hanit and INS Eilat torpedo boats.
A few days earlier, a single missile boat was reported as crossing the canal to the Red Sea for "operational purposes". The nature of the crossing remains classified.
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