Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed on Monday that Iran is converting commercial vessels into armed military platforms, equipped with drones, missiles and advanced reconnaissance systems.
These “floating terror bases” were an extension of Iran’s ongoing maritime terrorism in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, said Gallant.
“On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals.” Ezekiel 38:4 NIV
The goal of Tehran’s “pirate policy” is to expand its reach to the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and even the shores of the Mediterranean, he said.
“Iran is conducting itself like a collection of criminal organizations and not a modern state,” said Gallant at a conference organized by Reichman University’s Institute for Policy and Strategy.
“This is a structured plan designed to threaten trade and flight routes–both military and civilian—and to create a permanent threat in the maritime arena,” he said.
