Iranian warships transit Suez for Mediterranean

CAIRO - Two Iranian naval ships entered the Suez Canal on Tuesday for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution, bound for the Mediterranean on a purported training mission that Israel regards as a provocation.

"The two ships entered the canal on Tuesday at around 5:45 am (0335 GMT)," a canal official said. Normally, transiting the strategic 163-km waterway takes between 12 and 14 hours.

The patrol frigate Alvand and support ship Kharg are the first Iranian warships through Suez since the Islamic revolution. They are reportedly bound for Syria, a destination that necessarily involves passing Israel.