Israel’s just-retired navy commander said the country has increased its activities in the Red Sea “exponentially” in the face of growing Iranian threats to Israeli shipping.
Vice Adm. Eli Sharvit described Iranian activities on the high seas as a top Israeli concern and said the navy is able to strike wherever necessary to protect the country’s economic and security interests.
“The State of Israel will protect its freedom of navigation across the globe,” Sharvit told The Associated Press, days after finishing his five-year term. “That’s not related to distance from the country.”
Israel is facing an array of threats including Iranian proxies the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and Gaza’s Hamas as well as the challenges posed by Iran’s military activity across the region.
