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Ships suspected of carrying weapons for eventual delivery to Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah Israel is monitoring the progress of two Iranian warships, which it says intend to cross through the Suez canal en route to Syria, in a move the foreign minister described as a provocation. The ships, which Israel suspects are carrying weapons for eventual delivery to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Islamist organisation and ally of Iran, reportedly left the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah two days ago and began to sail towards the strategically important canal. The reports come amid rising tension in the region, with unrest sweeping across Arab countries. Israel is deeply concerned about instability in neighbouring countries and fears that Islamist organisations are growing in influence. The Iranian vessels were due to pass through Suez on Wednesday night, Avigdor Lieberman told a conference of American-Jewish organisations in Jerusalem. “Tonight two Iranian warships are supposed to cross the Suez canal on their way to Syria into the Mediterranean Sea which is something that has not happened for many years,” he said. “This is a provocation that proves that the self-confidence and impudence of the Iranians is growing from day to day … Regrettably the international community shows no willingness to deal with these repeated Iranian provocations.” He said the international community needed to understand that Israel could not ignore such provocations forever. The defence minister, Ehud Barak, confirmed that Israel was “attentively monitoring” the ships’ progress. However, officials at the Suez Canal Authority denied the ships had passed or were scheduled to pass through the canal on Thursday. “No Iranian warships ships crossed the Suez canal today. The Suez canal does not have any Iranian warship on its waiting list for Friday,” Ahmed el-Manakhly, a member of the canal’s board who is responsible for shipping movement, told Reuters. Under international law, only ships from countries at war with Egypt are barred from passing through the Suez canal. But warships need prior permission from Egypt’s defence and foreign ministries. The US state department spokesman PJ Crowley confirmed that Iranian ships were in the area of the canal, but declined to comment further. “There are two ships in the Red Sea,” he said. “What their intention is, what their destination is, I can’t say.” Last month, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that Iranian navy cadets were embarking on a year-long training mission in the Mediterranean, passing through the the Red Sea and the Suez canal. It said the purpose was to train to defend Iranian ships against the threat of Somali pirates. The Suez canal is the key sea passage between Europe and the Middle East and Asia. Since Hosni Mubarak was ousted as Egypt’s president last Friday, Israel has been deeply concerned about the future of relations between it and its closest ally in the region. Egypt’s ruling army council has said the 31-year-old peace treaty between the two countries will be maintained, but Israel remains anxious about whether a future government which is likely to include the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood would review the accord. Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has warned that the country must “prepare for the worst”. Although Israel hoped to see genuine democratic reform in Egypt, he said, it and other countries needed to be alert to “possible dangers that may lie ahead”. Israel Iran Egypt Middle East Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk