Iranian navy ships enter Suez Canal

CAIRO: Two Iranian naval ships entered the Suez Canal on Tuesday, a canal source said, en route to Syria on a purported training mission that Israel regards as a provocation.

"The two ships entered the Canal on Tuesday at around 5:45 am (0335 GMT), the official said.

They were the first Iranian warships through Suez since the 1979 Islamic revolution, and are reportedly bound for Syria, a destination that necessarily involves passing Israel.

Egypt's official MENA news agency has reported that the request for the ships to transit the canal said they were not carrying weapons or nuclear and chemical materials.