Syria, February 28: Syrian Defense Minister Ali Habib Mahmoud says the presence of Iranian warships in the Mediterranean Sea has “paralyzed” Israel.
“The presence of Iranian warships in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time since the Islamic Revolutions 32 years ago is a great move,” Lieutenant general Habib Mahmoud said at a meeting with Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari who is on a visit to Syria.
“Seeing the reaction of Israel, which has become paralyzed and is worried by your (Iran’s) move, is very interesting,” Mehr News Agency quoted him as saying on Monday.
“We pay no attention to their concern and this (lack of attention) will further frustrated them,” Habib Mahmoud added.
He expressed hope that Iran and Syria would further expand their ties in other areas, particularly in naval cooperation in the near future.
Sayyari, for his part, pointed to enemy efforts to freeze Tehran’s assets and weaken the Islamic Republic and said, “We turned sanctions into opportunities and reached self-sufficiency in various fields.”
The Iranian commander added that “the enemies of Islam are turning a blind eye to Israel, which is the manifestation of global terrorism, and resorting to psywar, soft war and terrorism to create a rift between friendly countries.”
Sayyari said after dispatching Iranian warships to the Mediterranean Sea, the enemies of Iran, especially Israel, have started making threats, however, “based on its legitimate cooperation with the friend and brother state of Syria, Iran carried on without paying attention to enemy threats.”
On February 23, two Iranian vessels, Khark and Alvand, crossed the Suez Canal, a strategic international shipping route in Egypt, on their way to the Mediterranean Sea.
Iran’s Navy says that by sending Iranian warships to the Mediterranean, it would strengthen friendly relations with other countries and convey Tehran’s message of peace and security.
———-Agencies