Seems the Israelis are reporting something a bit out of the ordinary.   Whether this is what they speculate it to be is too early to tell.  But it bears watching.

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 even for warships, but the armada, led by the USS Truman with 5,000 sailors and marines, was the largest in years. Egypt closed the canal to fishing and other boats as the armada moved through the strategic passageway that connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas.

Despite Egypt’s reported refusal to block the canal to Iranian boats, the clearance for the American-Israeli fleet may be a warning to Iran it may face military opposition if the Iranian Red Crescent ship continues on course to Gaza.

You gotta admit, CVNs can be damned handy doo-dads to have around when you need ‘em.

« Midrats: On Command

Roosevelt Diplomacy »

Posted by UltimaRatioReg in Foreign Policy, Marine Corps, Maritime Security, Navy, Uncategorized

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

• D. E. Reddick

  I understand that the transit was made by the Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) from the Med to the Red Sea. In some readings I’ve been led to understand the German Navy frigate FGS Hessen (F221) is part of the Truman CSG. If true, then that so-called Israeli corvette described as transiting the Suez Canal might have actually been that German frigate FGS Hessen.

• Derrick

  Why would the US send a carrier/bird farm to stop an Iranian supply ship?

  Is it possible this is just part of the USS Harry Truman’s regular patrol route?

• D. E. Reddick

  Derrick,

  The Truman CSG is scheduled to replace the Eisenhower CSG in the Fifth Fleet AOR. Truman and her group left the east coast in late May and visited Marseilles in the first half of June. It’s all routine but for the claim that an Israeli corvette transited the Suez Canal with the Truman CSG. Instead, it is more likely that the German frigate FGS Hessen (F221) was mis-identified. Although, how you confuse something like an Israeli Sa’ar 5 class corvette with a F124 Sachsen class frigate is a bit beyond my mind’s feeble comprehension.

• Wharf Rat

  Another attempt by the media at making something out of nothing.

  I would say this – would you like a CVN and her task group bearing down on you if you were the Iranian ship?

  This is nothing – a routine movement of forces. I still hope they flyover the Iranian vessel regularly.

  I would be fun to have a destroyer from the IKE group shadow this vessel just to piss them off.

• JD

  Here’s a news bite from Haaretz citing eyewitnesses in Suez: http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/news-in-brief-1.297126.

  With 11 to 13 ships, wouldn’t this CSG be a little larger than usual?