Defense Minister Benny Gantz said this morning Israel would take military action anywhere there was a threat against it. “The State of Israel must defend itself. Every place we find an operational challenge or operational need, we will continue to act. We are preparing ourselves at this time on numerous fronts: at our southern and northern borders, as well as vis-a-vis the threats that Iran is presenting, whether directly or indirectly via its proxies in the Middle East,” said Gantz.

Gantz added, “To our enemies I want to say: We are here today marking 10 years of active service of the Iron Dome, but this isn’t the only system we have. We have offensive capabilities that operate 24/7, 365 days a year. They are ready for use on any front, at any range and for any action that the IDF needs.”

He did not refer directly in his speech to the attack yesterday on the Iranian ship Saviz off the Yemen coast. Speaking to reporters after delivering his speech, Gantz said twice that he wouldn’t comment on the matter, simply stating that the IDF would take action anywhere it determines it needs to.

Israel did not take responsibility for the blast on the Saviz, which was apparently caused by explosives planted on the hull of the vessel. Still, a report by The New York Times this morning claimed Israel was behind the strike. The report quoted an unnamed American official, who said Jerusalem had notified Washington that Israeli forces had attacked the Iranian ship. The report also said the Israeli attack came in retaliation over alleged Iranian attacks on two Israeli ships in recent weeks. The Israeli-owned container ship LORI was hit by a missile March 25 in the Arabian Sea. On Feb. 26, Israeli-owned MV Helios Ray suffered a blast while sailing in the Gulf of Oman. Iran did not take responsibility for either attack.