A few days ago, we saw the unbelievable,never-before-seen spectacle of Iranian warships docking in a Saudi harbor at Jedda.
Today, as blogpal Lt. Commander J.E. Dyer notes, they're transiting the Suez Canal and en route to Syria.
As she points out, this is all about perception:
..the Assad regime will get to have the best of both worlds: a brand-new American ambassador — dispatched in January with vows of “engagement” — and a historic visit from the warships of revolutionary Iran.As Israeli authorities point out, moreover, Iran stated earlier that the naval task force would spend up to a year in the Mediterranean. Its base of operations is likely to be Syria, but triumphal port visits to Beirut are undoubtedly on Tehran’s to-do list.{...}
These ships can’t fight a war. But the reactions are actually quite rational. The big shift here is in political perceptions of power. The important facts are that revolutionary, terror-sponsoring Iran — under U.S., EU, and UN sanctions — feels free to conduct this deployment, and Syria feels free to cooperate in it. Egypt’s interim rulers apparently saw no reason to block the Suez transit, in spite of the Egyptians’ very recent concern over Iranian-backed terrorists and insurgents operating on their territory. Saudi Arabia, for its part, considered it prudent to host the Iranian warships last week — in spite of the Saudis’ own conviction that Iran has been aiding rebel groups that threaten Saudi territory.
I would add only two observations to Lt. Commander Dyers' commentary. While the Iranian ships may very well make a stop at Beirut, another likely port of call is Turkey, extending Iran's perceived reach considerably. And second, those ships are proceeding in spite of US and UN sanctions,and there's no way to know what they might be carrying in the hold.
The battle lines are definitely being drawn and events are proceeding quickly.
UPDATE: And the Obama White House on this? "Uh, we got no answers about nuthin'. "
5 comments:
FF, I was waiting for you to post on this topic, and I assume you'll have more in depth coverage as time goes by...I was wondering what you think Israel's reaction will be. Do you think Israel will sink these ships before they dock in Syria?
P.S. The UN sucks.
Actually, I updated it today. The scum are now through the Suez Canal and en route to Syria.
As to whether the IDF will sink the ships, ,anything's possible but if I had to guess I'd say no,not at this time..although they'll be watching them closely.
Part of the reason why has to do with exactly how much the UN sucks. And perhaps how much the Obama Administration sucks when it comes to Israel. Watch the news on Friday.
I think Cyprus is one to watch. Now the closest Christian outpost, at least in the South of the island.
Any attempt to block the passage of the warships through te canal would have been deemed by Iran and the rest of the world as an act of war against Iran. Given the current state of the American military and the lack of desire among the American people for yet another military conflict in a part of the world along way from the American mainland, America would have no hope of any chance of winning a military conflict with Iran or its allies.
Any attempt by the Americans to sink the warship would result in a massive naval battle and at least one or both of the ships would still make it through the canal. The casualties suffered by the American side would be massive AND we would be at war with Iran, which is something we cannot do right now.
On the other hand, the Israeli forces who are better led, better trained, and technologically superior to the American forces might actually be able to successfully block the passage of the Iranian warships through the canal either by sinking them or otherwise forcing them to turn around.
America's best bet, at this point, is to get out of the way and allow Israel to handle this problem. The Americans should redeploy to defensible positions along its borders. At least this way we have a fighting chance to defend our country. Now, where do we dind the leadership among either Republicans or Democrats to make these decisions?
Any attempt to block the passage of the warships through te canal would have been deemed by Iran and the rest of the world as an act of war against Iran. Given the current state of the American military and the lack of desire among the American people for yet another military conflict in a part of the world along way from the American mainland, America would have no hope of any chance of winning a military conflict with Iran or its allies.
Any attempt by the Americans to sink the warship would result in a massive naval battle and at least one or both of the ships would still make it through the canal. The casualties suffered by the American side would be massive AND we would be at war with Iran, which is something we cannot do right now.
On the other hand, the Israeli forces who are better led, better trained, and technologically superior to the American forces might actually be able to successfully block the passage of the Iranian warships through the canal either by sinking them or otherwise forcing them to turn around.
America's best bet, at this point, is to get out of the way and allow Israel to handle this problem. The Americans should redeploy to defensible positions along its borders. At least this way we have a fighting chance to defend our country. Now, where do we dind the leadership among either Republicans or Democrats to make these decisions?
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