Two Iranian naval ships have sailed through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, Iran's state TV says.
The Suez Canal is one of the world's most strategically important transit choke points
The vessels are the first Iranian naval ships to pass through the strategic waterway since Iran's 1979 revolution.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that Iran's plan to send the ships through the canal en route to Syria was a "provocation".
An Egyptian army official said the military had given its approval to Iran's request, which has presented an early diplomatic test to Egypt's interim government after the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt's Western allies are watching for hints of any shift in policy towards its neighbours, especially Israel, with which it has a peace treaty and supplies with natural gas.
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