Beirut warns Israel against ship attack

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131544§ionid=351020203



As a Lebanese aid convoy is preparing to set sail for the Gaza Strip, Beirut says Tel Aviv would be held accountable for any attack against the vessel.

In a letter to the United Nations on Tuesday, Lebanon's Foreign Ministry said "Israel will be held fully responsible for any attack on Lebanon," AFP reported.

Lebanon "cannot prohibit a ship from leaving its ports if its cargo, passengers and destination all comply with Lebanese law."

The letter came after the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations sent a letter to the UN, threatening that it would use "all necessary means" to stop the Gaza-bound aid convoy.

Earlier on Monday, Lebanese authorities granted permission for one of the two ships, the Julia, to sail to Cyprus and then to Gaza. With Lebanon and Israel technically still at war, the ship cannot directly sail for the Gaza Strip.

The aid mission comes as Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned earlier that Lebanon would be responsible for any confrontation with vessels sailing to Gaza from its shores.

The ships, which have been organized by the Free Palestine Movement, would be carrying humanitarian supplies for the besieged people of Gaza.

The pro-Palestinian campaigners planned the mission after Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy on May 31, killing at least several civilian activists and injuring dozens of others in international waters.

Israel to block Iran aid ships to Gaza

Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has warned Iran and Lebanon over their Gaza-bound aid ships


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131633§ionid=351020101



With new international missions underway to deliver aid to Gaza, Israel says it will seek ways to block Iranian and Lebanese aid shipments to the besieged strip, referring to them as 'flow of arms.'

"We have the right to inspect and prevent the flow of arms into Gaza," Israel's Ynet news website quoted Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as saying on Tuesday.

"We can't let Gaza become an Iranian port," he added.

The remarks come as Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast announced plans to send two Iranian aid ships carrying humanitarian relief and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip.

Mehmanparast also said arrangements were being negotiated with the Egyptian government to facilitate the delivery of the shipments to the impoverished people of Gaza.

“We consider Egyptian efforts in opening an aid-delivery route a correct approach,” the Iranian spokesman said, adding that such measures that will help the delivery of aid supplies would be “appreciated by nations.”

Earlier on Monday, Iran's Red Crescent said two shipments of relief goods and relief workers were due be sent for a 14-day journey to the coastal region by the end of the week.

The Iranian ships will follow a Lebanese aid vessel, the Julia, which is scheduled to set sail for Gaza through Cyprus. With Lebanon and Israel technically still at war, the ship cannot directly sail for the Gaza Strip.

Ashkenazi went on to warn against Lebanon's aid mission, saying that "If a flotilla comes from Lebanon we will deal with it. If they are peaceful we will deal with it peacefully, if not we will deal with it as we need to."

The pro-Palestinian campaign by Iran and Lebanon comes after Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy on May 31, killing at least 9 civilian activists and injuring dozens of others in international waters.

Iran awaiting Egyptian Gaza aid route

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=131475§ionid=351020101



Iran says it has prepared ships containing humanitarian and medical aid for Gaza and is awaiting an Egyptian response for a route to deliver the aid.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in a Tuesday press briefing that Iran has made contacts with the Egyptian government on arrangements to facilitate the delivery of the shipments to the impoverished people of Gaza and that any Egyptian efforts in opening a delivery route would be “appreciated by nations.”

“We consider Egyptian efforts in opening an aid-delivery route a correct approach,” said Mehmanparast. He expressed optimism that Egypt would reflect on the “historic role” they can play in making the aid delivery to the people of Gaza happen, and keep in mind the expectation that nations have from them in this regard.

The Iranian official also elaborated on Tehran's decision to refuse entry to two inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying that if any IAEA inspectors are in violation of their assigned duties, member countries have the right to object and demand new inspectors.

He added that Iran considers relaying inaccurate information or making data available to irrelevant individuals by the agency's inspectors as violation of their duties.

Mehmanparast also declared that Iran plans to transmit protest letters to the 12 members of the UN Security Council that recently voted for the anti-Iran sanctions resolution. He noted that the letters will go out soon.

The spokesman also referred to recent propaganda efforts by the US administration to avert a gas pipeline deal between Iran and Pakistan, stressing that energy cooperation between nations have extensive aspects and go far beyond being affected by propaganda campaigns.

Responding to a question regarding Iran's declared readiness in helping to contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Mehmanparast said the inability of the US government to effectively deal with the crisis is quite significant. He then noted that since the crisis is an environmental and humanitarian one, it encourages the involvement of all nations to resolve it.

Iranian aid ships to set sail for Gaza

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=129349§ionid=351020101



Two Iranian aid ships carrying humanitarian relief and medical supplies for the people of Gaza will set sail for the coastal sliver in the upcoming days.

Iran's Red Crescent announced Monday that the cargo will include food, medicine and appliances and it will be accompanied by a group of Iranian doctors and relief workers.

"The aid consists of food and medical supplies, which will be transported into Gaza via the Rafah border in Egypt before the week is through," the country's Red Crescent Director Abdolraoof Adibzadeh said.

The Rafah border crossing is the only escape route from Gaza that does not lead to Israel.

"Iran is also preparing to dispatch a navy hospital ship for the people of Gaza, which will have onboard doctors, nurses and all the medical equipment required for emergency surgeries and procedures," Adibzadeh further explained.

The decision comes in the wake of a deadly Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla carrying thousands of tons of aid supplies and hundreds of humanitarian activists to the coastal strip.

Israel's military attack into the Turkish aid vessel M.V. Mavi Marmara resulted in the death of nine activists -- including a Turkish teenager -- and the injury of more then 40 others.