Israeli Def. Minister Gallant reveals new threat: Iran establishes ‘floating terror bases’
(Worthy News) – Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed Monday a new threat Israel may have to face – Iran converts civilian merchant ships into military vessels to serve as “floating terror bases.”
Speaking at Reichman University at the annual Herzliya Conference on the topic Policy and Strategy in an Age of Uncertainty, the minister said that “these vessels are of considerable size, ranging from tens to sometimes hundreds of thousands of tons. They are intended to carry various types of combat capabilities, including aircraft, missiles, offensive systems and advanced intelligence, in order to serve as forward terror bases in areas located far from the Iranian border.”
Gallant noted that the coastal terrorist bases are already operational in a practical manner.
“Only recently, one of these ships was observed when it sailed to the Gulf of Aden. This is a direct continuation of Iran’s maritime terrorism, which it controls in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. It aims to expand its operations to the Indian Ocean, followed by the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a well-coordinated and planned policy: to threaten maritime routes, both military and civilian, and to create a constant threat in the maritime domain. This is a troubling policy of maritime terrorism. Iran conducts itself in this context more like a collection of pirates than a civilized nation,” he said. [ Source: Ynet News (Read More…) ]