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Netanyahu warns Iran over Red Sea waterway
JERUSALEM, Aug 2, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has warned Iran it would join military action to stop it blocking a
key seaway after Yemen’s Iranian-aligned Huthi rebels attacked two Saudi oil
tankers.
Speaking at a navy ceremony late Wednesday, Netanyahu warned against any
attempt to block the Bab al-Mandab strait, one of the world’s busiest
shipping lanes and the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
On July 26, Saudi Arabia said it had temporarily halted all oil shipments
through the waterway after the Huthi rebels attacked two of its tankers.
On Wednesday, the Huthis announced a two-week pause in Red Sea operations.
“At the start of the week we witnessed a sharp clash with Iranian proxies
who tried to obstruct international navigation in the straits at the entrance
to the Red Sea,” Netanyahu said. “If Iran tries to block the Bab al-Mandab, 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.”
Iran is Israel’s main enemy and Netanyahu has repeatedly warned over what
he sees as its expanding military presence in the region.
Israel has spoken of quietly improving ties with Arab states who share its
concerns about Iran.
Only two Arab states — Egypt and Jordan — have signed peace treaties
with Israel.
The Huthis are fighting a Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in
support of Yemen’s beleaguered government in March 2015.
The conflict has killed nearly 10,000 people and heaped misery on one of
the world’s poorest countries but the Huthis remain in control of the capital
Sanaa and the key Red Sea port of Hodeida.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1139 hrs