Israel Involved in US-led Security Mission in Strait of Hormuz

According to the Ynet news agency, Israel’s foreign minister revealed that the Jewish state’s security establishment was contributing to a US-led maritime security mission in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran recently seized two tankers. Israel Katz reportedly told parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Jerusalem was providing intelligence and other unspecified assistance to the US military in order to ensure freedom of navigation in the vital waterway, through which approximately one-third of the global oil supply passes. Katz added that the mission was an essential part of Israel’s effort to counter Iranian expansionism while boosting ties with regional Sunni Arab nations. Earlier this week, London officially joined the operation; this, following last month’s seizure by Iranian forces of the British-flagged Stena Impero and its crew. Washington has struggled to put together a larger coalition, as its Middle East allies apparently remain concerned about being drawn into a broader conflagration with the Islamic Republic. The US previously accused Iran of perpetrating attacks on six additional vessels in the Gulf, in addition to using its proxy forces to target American assets in Iraq and critical civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani this week warned that a conflict with Tehran would be the “mother of all wars.”