| Two Iranian ships arrived Thursday at the Syrian seaport of Lattaqia, 350 km north of Damascus, on a training mission, media source told Xinhua.
According to the source, the two ships were Alvand, a 1,500- tonne patrol frigate armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, and Kharg, a 33,000-tonne supply vessel.
The two vessels, which crossed the Suez Canal in Egypt before entering the Mediterranean Sea, have aroused anger among Israeli top officials, who regarded the voyage as a provocative step.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Tel-Aviv would take a "grave view" of the Iranian ships' move.
Upon his arrival in Damascus on Wednesday, Chief of Iran's Navy Habibollah Sayyari said the vessels were in a "routine voyage" and had never participated in any military exercise.
"Zionist regime exaggerates as it wants to create tensions in the region," Sayyari was quoted by Iran TV as saying.
The United States, which leads an international sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, urged the two Iranian ships Wednesday to follow the international laws.
The vessels are the first Iranian navy ships to cross the Suez Canal since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979. |
