US, Israeli Warships Enter Suez Canal
By Wyatt Earp | June 21, 2010
Oh. Crap. Note to Iran: A storm is coming.
Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal as an Iranian flotilla approaches Gaza.
International agreements require Egypt to keep the Suez open even for warships, but the armada, led by the USS Truman with 5,000 sailors and marines, was the largest in years. Egypt closed the canal to fishing and other boats as the armada moved through the strategic passageway that connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas.
Despite Egypt’s reported refusal to block the canal to Iranian boats, the clearance for the American-Israeli fleet may be a warning to Iran it may face military opposition if the Iranian Red Crescent ship continues on course to Gaza.
This has the potential to get very ugly. An artist’s rendering of the epic battle can be found below the fold.
Yeah, good luck with that, Iran. We’ll see you real soon.
Topics: Politics | 20 Comments »
June 21st, 2010 at 7:26 am
“Never bring a knife to a gunfight!!” – The Sundance Kid
June 21st, 2010 at 7:55 am
Is Helen Thomas going to be on one of the blockade running ships? Jeanne Barfalo?
Hamas, Lezbollah, Iran and others are looking for another PR victory here, here’s hoping Israel won’t give them one, and still be able to turn them away with the minimum of trouble. I hope the commandos will have a gieger counter to check the cargo this time also, ya never know with Iran.
Some of the lyrics from an old Kingston Trio song early
60′s:
They’re rioting in Africa,
There’s strife in Iran,
What nature doesn’t do to us,
Will be done by our fellow man.
June 21st, 2010 at 8:29 am
Sigh, this is where we need a BB like New Jersey, sit off shore and level specific buildings, tents or whatever with single or broadsides rounds…
June 21st, 2010 at 8:39 am
Or maybe obambi wants a show of force after the traitor Adam Ghadan’s (AKA Goat Boy) terms of surrender video to obambi the other day.
It took awhile to realize I wasn’t watching an MSM produced video. Snarkasm
June 21st, 2010 at 9:40 am
I’m ready to go stick my head in the sand somewhere and pretend everyone farts rainbows and sings to unicorns.
I realize that there are valid reasons for war (even though I despise war) and that there has to be people to keep peace between nations, but why do we always have to be the ones to play referee?
Ignore me. I’m just tired of war and fighting and people (nations) acting idiotic.
June 21st, 2010 at 10:05 am
Holy warships, Batman!! Sucks to be part of the Iranian flotilla.
June 21st, 2010 at 10:35 am
Only problem with that analogy is that, in the movie, Scimitar Boy didn’t have a bunch of friends and co-religionists in Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley ready to start shelling and rocketing every village in northern Israel in retaliation.
Unless the Obama Administration is worried about an imminent Turkish attack on Israel, in conjunction with Iran, I’d think the Truman battlegroup would have been better left in the Arabian Sea to threaten Iran itself. Certainly Israel by itself could handle any “flotilla” Iran sent after them, even if Iran sent their entire navy as an escort…
June 21st, 2010 at 10:49 am
Can’t we just open fire sink these 7th century shithead throwbacks and be done with it?
June 21st, 2010 at 11:52 am
Wes – My mind has gone there for your option too, I am really trying to think positively that it..won’t happen. If it does happen, I hope that one of the surrender conditions for Turkey after its all over, is to publicly admit to the Armenian massacre:) Remember if Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah and all possible other enimies simultaneously attack, which would definitely strain the IDF, thats why they have nukes to end it very very very quickly.
June 21st, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Jon – The Kingston Trio ? That’s a blast from the past.
What has six legs and a bra ?
Peter, Paul and Mary.
June 21st, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Hmmmm..another thought just occured. What if the carriers role is to provide CAP for Israel while most of their airforce is off bombing Iran? Just wondering…
could be close like Wyatt said.
June 21st, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Maybe we are going to interdict the Iranian ship instead of the Israelis. After smoking the pirates off Somalia our boys are probably looking for some more boat to boat trigger time.
June 21st, 2010 at 2:02 pm
The writing was on the wall a week or so ago when Saudi Arabia gave permission to Israel to go through its airspace.
June 21st, 2010 at 2:16 pm
A show of force to what end? The idea that the prick in the Whitehouse would actually use these assets is laughable. What has happened here is that these assets have been placed in harms way for no good reason. They will not be allowed to fire so much as a shot across anyones bow until a couple of Exocets or torpedoes have found their mark severely damaging the ships and costing American lives again.
I tend to agree with Wes in the placement of the assets although, again, considering who the “CIC” is, it would only amount to an empty threat. Allow attack, suffer damage and casualties. Then and only then is a limited response warranted.
God forbid the full power and might of the U.S. military should be unleashed against Barrys friends in the R.O.P.
June 21st, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Opps! They are sailing…from…the Med to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Thought earlier they were coming into the Med to augment the 6th fleet. All guesses are off now.
June 21st, 2010 at 5:21 pm
The linked article seemed to indicate that the Truman battlegroup was going into the Med, not the other way around. Either way…I find myself agreeing with Pale Horse in that any show of force by this administration is an empty threat…and that they’re going to hang a lot of American servicemen to dry when it all goes to hell.
Either way, as Ralph Peters pointed out a couple of weeks ago, if Iran and Turkey go to war against Israel we’ve got hundreds, if not thousands, of servicemen stationed at Incrilik airbase in Turkey who will be caught in the middle. Not to mention thousands more in Afghanistan, whose logistics lifeline runs through Incrilik. Just in case things weren’t potentially ugly enough already…
Hope the zoomies at Incrilik have beefed up security….
June 21st, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Roger – “Isn’t that just like a wop? Brings a knife to a gunfight.” – Malone, The Untouchables.
Jon – Maybe Helen will be covering the event?
Old NFO – She’s right across the river. Want that I should fire the old girl up?
Jon – I heard some of that. I cannot wait until he is smoten.
Kim – It’s the Middle East. There will never be peace, so we go over there once in a while and grab people by the collar for funsies.
MeToo – Especially with a carrier at the helm.
Wes S. – I think that’s part of the reason why they’re there; to intimidate Iran.
Ferrell – If we had a few Iowa class battle-wagons off the coast, it would be simple as pie.
JT – Nicely played.
Ingineer66 – Maybe we can have a Hornet do a low fly-by of the ship at Mach 2?
RT – Saudi Arabia, Egypt; does any country like Iran anymore?
RAPH – In fairness, he said he’d get right on it after the back nine.
Wes S – Just like the thousands of soldiers in the Korean DMZ. If Kim Jong-Il goes loco, they’re caught, too.
June 21st, 2010 at 11:15 pm
This may be dated, but,…that, my friends, was the sound of a can of whoopass being opened up!
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:56 am
There’s nothing to this. The Truman is on it’s way to relieve the Ike in the Gulf. They’ll probably arrive on station in the next week or so, spend a few days turning over, then the Ike will head back to homeport via the Med and, you guessed it, the Suez canal.
This happens pretty regularly, about every six months, and every time the media gets their knickers in a twist because they don’t understand the concept of relief on station.
When you get 4 or so carriers in the 5th fleet AOR, then you know something’s up
June 25th, 2010 at 12:48 am
Ah, well, according to Weazel Zippers,
Iranians Cancel Gaza Flotilla due to “Israeli Threats”…
Easy to talk a big game, not so easy to follow through with it…
http://weaselzippers.us/2010/06/24/cowards-iranians-cancel-gaza-flotilla-due-to-israeli-threats/