Israel Sends Submarines, Warships to Red Sea to Deter Iran

Tugboats are seen near a ship in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. (Reuters)
Tugboats are seen near a ship in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. (Reuters)
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Israel Sends Submarines, Warships to Red Sea to Deter Iran

Tugboats are seen near a ship in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. (Reuters)
Tugboats are seen near a ship in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. (Reuters)

Military sources in Tel Aviv revealed that the Israeli army sent a number of submarines, warships and forces from the Naval Commando unit to the Red Sea, raising alert level over possible Iranian move to avenge the assassinations of Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Soleimani and nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

The Walla Hebrew-language News Agency reported on Wednesday that the Israeli army has placed a number of military units on high alert, including forces from the submarine fleet and the 13th Squadron.

A senior security officer pointed out that an Israeli submarine sailed recently through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea, and disappeared for several weeks underwater.

The officer noted that the decision to transfer the submarine to the Red Sea was taken in proportion to the security challenges in the region, and constitutes a message that Israel is prepared for all scenarios.

Iranian officials have accused the Israeli Mossad of being responsible for the assassination of Fakhrizadeh, in addition to the involvement of Israeli intelligence in the killing of Soleimani in a US raid in Baghdad.

Two weeks ago, Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen said that the strategic weigh of the Red Sea is increasing, in context of regional and international struggles for influence.

Cohen added that this is a strategic political opportunity for Israel to establish and improve ties with the countries in the region based on security interests. These interests are represented in protecting navigation and finding a deterrence system against Iran and Houthis in the region.

He also warned, in his statements to Walla News Agency, of threats in the Red Sea.



Zelenskiy Says Ready to Exchange N. Korean Soldiers for Ukrainians Held in Russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
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Zelenskiy Says Ready to Exchange N. Korean Soldiers for Ukrainians Held in Russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday Kyiv is ready to hand over North Korean soldiers to their leader Kim Jong Un if he can organize their exchange for Ukrainians held captive in Russia.
"In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It's only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others," Zelenskiy said on the social media platform X.
Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine had captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk region, the first time Ukraine has announced the capture of North Korean soldiers alive since their entry into the nearly three-year-old war last autumn.
Ukrainian and Western assessments say that some 11,000 troops from Russia's ally North Korea have been deployed in the Kursk region to support Moscow's forces. Russia has neither confirmed nor denied their presence, Reuters reported.
Zelenskiy has said Russian and North Korean forces had suffered heavy losses.
"Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un's soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia," Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy posted a short video showing the interrogation of two men who are presented as North Korean soldiers. One of them is lying on a bed with bandaged hands, the other is sitting with a bandage on his jaw.
One of the men said through an interpreter that he did not know he was fighting against Ukraine and had been told he was on a training exercise.
He said he hid in a shelter during the offensive and was found a couple of days later. He said that if he was ordered to return to North Korea, he would, but said he was ready to stay in Ukraine if given the chance.
Reuters could not verify the video.
Zelenskiy said that for those North Korean soldiers who did not wish to return home, there may be other options available and "those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in the Korean (language) will be given that opportunity."
Zelenskiy provided no specific details.