8/28/2013 - Unconfirmed rumors: "Egypt wants to close the Suez Canal to U.S. ships bound for Syria

reply to post by deviant300


Actually 6 RAF Typhoons arrived in Cyprus yesterday, along with a Voyager tanker, and it's believed a number of C-130s. I believe the Typhoons were from XI Sqdrn. They were deployed to protect the base on Cyprus if necessary.

reply to post by Zaphod58


If they attacked the the Cyprus base but it don't look likely. Do you think that the British would intervene it would Null the vote if so ?

reply to post by deviant300


Oh, if they hit the Cyprus base, the RAF would be in the air and heading to Syria as soon as they could get loaded, damn the vote.

reply to post by silo13


I agree it would be huge if they actually do it. But I also thought it would be prudent to see if the mods wanted the thread to remain open. Given that my initial title suggested that the canal had already been closed, and that turned out to not be the case.

I'm happy to see they went with changing the title instead.

This weekend may turn out to be big.

reply to post by this_is_who_we_are


I'm betting middle of next week when the new moon is here personally.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Ah. New Moon strike. Slipped my mind. You're probably right. Thursday the 5th.

In related Suez Canal news:

Shippers brace for more Suez turmoil after Chinese vessel 'fired on with machine guns
Tuesday, 03 September, 2013, 10:24am
Reuters in London
www.scmp.com...

An attack on a Chinese-owned container ship in the Suez canal has heightened risks for merchant shipping using the vital waterway, with further threats considered likely as political turmoil continues in Egypt.
www.scmp.com...

Egypt arrests three after gun attack on ship in Suez Canal - source
By Asma Alsharif
CAIRO | Sun Sep 1, 2013 12:26pm BST
uk.reuters.com...

(Reuters) - Egypt has arrested three people who opened fire with machine guns on a ship passing through the Suez Canal, an army source said on Sunday, playing down what the waterway's chief described as a terrorist attack.

During Saturday's unsuccessful attack, the Panamanian-registered container ship COSCO ASIA came under fire in a northern section of the canal, a major global trade artery which is secured by the Egyptian armed forces.

"There was an attempt to disrupt security in an area called el-Qantara as they fired at a ship in an attempt to halt (traffic on) the waterway," said the army source.

"Three were arrested and they have been dealt with ...
uk.reuters.com...

reply to post by Zaphod58


New Moon tomorrow, Thursday the 5th. Is night falling over the Middle East right now?
Stay tuned...

Egypt depends a whole lot on Western tourist money. If they close the Suez Canal to US ships, then the West will close off tourist income to Egypt. They won't like that at all. And if they close the Suez Canal to US Ships, we will stop funding their military. And Egypt will like that even less ..... So it won't happen.

First off Morsi already tried to eradicate tourism, and there is not much left of that going on now, secondly, US has stopped military aid to Egypt, and instead Saudi is giving them money and we all know Saudi's play many sides. Thirdly, if this is true that documents are being revealed that Obama is behind funding of the Muslim Brotherhood, then all the more reason for the Egyptian army to retaliate against the US.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
Egypt depends a whole lot on Western tourist money. If they close the Suez Canal to US ships, then the West will close off tourist income to Egypt. They won't like that at all. And if they close the Suez Canal to US Ships, we will stop funding their military. And Egypt will like that even less ..... So it won't happen.

Just my opinion but I don't think anybody has Egypt in mind at the moment for an Holiday Escape

I don't think they will close the canal though

More from the canal:



Amateur video shows two men firing RPGs at ship transiting Suez

Sept. 5 - Internet video purports to show two militants firing rocket-propelled grenades at a container ship as it passes through the Suez Canal in the eastern Sinai. Mana Rabiee reports.

The images are grainy. But this video circulating the Internet claims to show two militants firing rocket-propelled grenades at a passing container ship in Egypt's Suez Canal. Reuters cannot verify the video. But on Saturday canal authorities said terrorists had staged just such an attack to disrupt this critical global waterway.

Source: Reuters
www.reuters.com...

In related news:

Egypt army attacks Sinai Islamists as militancy spreads
Reuters.com
By Shadia Nasralla
CAIRO | Sat Sep 7, 2013 8:18pm EDT

(Reuters) - The Egyptian army launched an attack against Islamist militants in North Sinai on Saturday, killing at least nine people, security officials said.

Two Egyptian soldiers were killed late on Saturday when an improvised explosive device detonated in a road in the North Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid near the border with the Gaza Strip, security sources said.

Radical Islamists in the rugged desert region adjoining Israel, who expanded into a security vacuum left by the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, have been staging almost daily assaults on security forces and other targets.

Dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles backed by attack helicopters were used earlier in Saturday's operation near Sheikh Zuweid, a few kilometres (miles) from the Palestinian Gaza Strip, security sources said.

The army said nine militants had been arrested.

Since the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on July 3, and especially since security forces killed hundreds of Islamists when they smashed protest camps in Cairo on August 14, there have been online calls from Islamist radicals for wider attacks on the state.

www.reuters.com...

The article goes on to state:

A week ago, militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at a ship passing through the Suez Canal on the Sinai's western edge, vital to world trade as well as Egypt's depleted state finances.

On Saturday, a bomb exploded at a Cairo police station for the second time in less than a week, state media said, although no one was hurt.

In addition, explosives were found on the railway line between the cities of Suez and Ismailia along the Suez Canal, but defused before they could do damage, according to the state news agency MENA.

www.reuters.com...

Originally posted by CottonwoodStormy
First off Morsi already tried to eradicate tourism, and there is not much left of that going on now, secondly, US has stopped military aid to Egypt, and instead Saudi is giving them money and we all know Saudi's play many sides. Thirdly, if this is true that documents are being revealed that Obama is behind funding of the Muslim Brotherhood, then all the more reason for the Egyptian army to retaliate against the US.

The US is still funding the Egyptian Military ignoring US law that says they can not fund a military that commits a coup. Obama has gotten around this by simply not having anybody in the US Gov call it a coup. Of course the Egyptian military knew all this before they launched the coup. The only real question is did the US call for the coup or simply give a thumbs up.

As for closing the Suez not going to happen. Although Egypt will not activly support a strike on Syria they did not even go so far vote against the Arab Leagues support for action against Assad.