JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said it was ready to “protect” the country’s maritime space on Tuesday, after a boat organized by an international activist coalition set sail for Gaza aiming to deliver aid.
The boat from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition departed Sicily on Sunday and is carrying around a dozen people, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg.
Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations warned in May that the entire population was at risk of famine.
“The (Israeli military) is prepared to defend the citizens of the State of Israel on all fronts — in the north, the south, the center and also in the maritime arena,” army spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said.
“The navy operates day and night to protect Israel’s maritime space and borders at sea,” he added at a televised press conference.
“For this case as well, we are prepared,” he said in response to a question about the Freedom Flotilla vessel, declining to go into detail.
“We have gained experience in recent years, and we will act accordingly.”
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians, combining humanitarian aid with political protest against the blockade on Gaza.
The “Madleen” is a small sailboat reportedly carrying fruit juices, milk, rice, tinned food and protein bars.
“Together, we can open a people’s sea corridor to Gaza,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition wrote on X on Tuesday.
In early May, a Freedom Flotilla ship called the “Conscience” was damaged in international waters off Malta as it headed to Gaza, with the activists saying they suspected an Israeli drone attack.
Israel recently eased a more than two-month blockade on the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, but the aid community has urged it to allow in more food, faster.
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Israel army vows to ‘protect maritime space’ as aid boat sails for Gaza
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Israel army vows to ‘protect maritime space’ as aid boat sails for Gaza
- The boat from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition departed Sicily on Sunday and is carrying around a dozen people, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg
Trump says not currently mulling US troops in Iran
- US president: ‘It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose’
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Thursday it would be a “waste of time” currently to consider sending US ground troops into Iran, NBC News reported, dismissing the Iranian foreign minister’s warning that such a move would spell disaster for invaders.
“It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose,” he told NBC by telephone, adding that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s earlier remark that Iran was ready for a US or Israeli ground invasion was a “wasted comment.”
Trump also indicated he is keen to see Iran’s leadership structure removed and that “we want to go in and clean out everything” quickly.
“We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period,” he said. He added that he had ideas for a new leader but declined to name anyone.
Trump said earlier he would “have to be involved” in the appointment of Iran’s next leader after US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei when the conflict began on Saturday.
Heavy attacks were reported in Tehran on Friday after Israel said it was hitting “regime infrastructure” in a “new phase” of the war it launched with the US against Iran.
“It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose,” he told NBC by telephone, adding that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s earlier remark that Iran was ready for a US or Israeli ground invasion was a “wasted comment.”
Trump also indicated he is keen to see Iran’s leadership structure removed and that “we want to go in and clean out everything” quickly.
“We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period,” he said. He added that he had ideas for a new leader but declined to name anyone.
Trump said earlier he would “have to be involved” in the appointment of Iran’s next leader after US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei when the conflict began on Saturday.
Heavy attacks were reported in Tehran on Friday after Israel said it was hitting “regime infrastructure” in a “new phase” of the war it launched with the US against Iran.
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