AP Photo/Ariel Schalit
On August 1, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran that it will face an international collation, which will include the state of Israel and its army, if it attempts to block Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.
“If Iran tries to block the Bab-el-Mandeb, I am convinced that it will find itself facing a determined international coalition to prevent this. This coalition would also include the State of Israel and all its arms,” the Israeli outlet I24 News quoted Netanyahu as saying while attending a Navy basic training graduation ceremony in Haifa.
Furthermore, Netanyahu mentioned the attack of the Iranian-backed Houthis on two crude-oil carrying vessels in Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which occurred on July 25, as an example of Iranian threat. Back then, the attack forced Saudi Arabia to temporarily withholding all oil shipments through the Strait.
During the same ceremony, Israel’s Minister of Defense also warned and the enemies of Israel and said that the Israeli military is ready to fight on more than one front simultaneously.
“We were recently informed of threats to attack Israeli ships on the Red Sea. I look at the people around me, who are here, and it’s a shame that even our enemies cannot see you and understand that we are well prepared to respond to any threat. Even in the Red Sea, the north and in the south. I want to emphasize: The IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] is prepared and ready to respond on two fronts simultaneously, and also at the Red Sea,” Liberman said.
Last month, several senior Iranian officials threatened that the Iranian military will block all key naval straits in the region, if the U.S. attempt to prevent the country from exporting oil. While, Israel is taking these threats seriously, Iran is likely pressuring the U.S. to reconsider its new stand on the nuclear deal with it.
