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Jerusalem (AFP) Feb 22, 2011 Israeli officials were largely silent on Tuesday as two Iranian warships entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Suez Canal, in what the Jewish state has repeatedly called a provocation. Officials at the canal authority confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that the two vessels had reached the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean after travelling up the canal. "They are now in Mediterranean waters," an official told AFP in Cairo. The patrol frigate Alvand and support ship Kharg are the first Iranian warships to pass through the canal since the 1979 Islamic revolution, and are reportedly bound for Syria, a journey that would take them past Israel's territorial waters. Israeli officials had no immediate reaction to the ships' arrival in the Mediterranean, but earlier a foreign ministry spokesman had urged world powers to respond "firmly" as the two vessels entered the Suez Canal. "We are talking about an unprecedented Iranian military presence in the Mediterranean, and that is a provocation to which the international community must react firmly," foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP. Public radio, quoting unnamed senior officials, said Israel knew where the ships were and was holding situational assessments with US officials. The radio also said Prime Minister Netanyahu had discussed the matter with US Ambassador James Cunningham. On Sunday, Netanyahu dismissed the move as an Iranian power play. "Iran is trying to profit (from the regional instability) by extending its influence by dispatching two warships to cross the Suez Canal," he said, while warning Israel regarded such a move "with gravity." The Kharg has a crew of 250 and can carry up to three helicopters. The Alvand is armed with torpedos and anti-ship missiles. The enmity between Iran and Israel has worsened under the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has frequently predicted that the Jewish state will be wiped off the map.
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