Times of Israel – An examination of damage to an Israeli-owned cargo ship currently docked in Dubai indicates an explosion that hit it in the Gulf of Oman was caused by mines covertly attached to the ship.

(Thanks to Alain)

War Zone – Israel Aerospace Industries, or IAI, has secured what appears to be the first sale ever of the maritime version of its Harop loitering munition, or “suicide drone.” The company did not name the customer, but said that they were “the navy of a country in Asia.” Loitering munitions, in general, became a topic of major international discussion after Azerbaijan used Harops to decisive effect in its conflict with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region last year.

War Zone – Israel has tested Iron Dome on these ships before, but we’ve never seen two launchers on one of their decks, and the timing is also peculiar.

Breaking Defense – An Israeli Dolphin submarine possibly carrying nuclear weapons crossed the Suez Canal last week on its way to the Persian Gulf, sources here confirmed on Dec 22. The submarine crossed the Suez Canal with Egyptian approval and sailed on the surface, a source said, “sending a clear warning to Teheran.”

Associated Press – Israel’s Navy on Wednesday welcomed the first of four German-made warships that will be at the vanguard of the country’s efforts to protect its coastline and growing natural gas industry.

Naval News – The Israeli Navy first Sa’ar 6-class corvette, INS Magen, will arrive in Israel in December, the country’s MoD said on . Within the coming year, three more Sa’ar 6 ships will be transferred to Israel from thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) Kiel shipyard, Germany.

Defense News – Israel will receive the first of four Sa’ar 6 ships in December as part of a broad shift in naval doctrine that will see the country defend more areas at sea at a longer distance for a longer period of time, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Associated Press – After a coronavirus-related delay, Israel’s navy is preparing for the long-awaited arrival of its next generation of missile boats — giving it a powerful new tool to defend its strategic natural gas industry from the threat of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

CIMSEC – Looking forward, the Israeli Navy is facing a number of challenges.

– BMPD – Israel Aircraft Industries has officially published the successful completion of tests of the operational-tactical missile system with a single-stage solid-propellant ballistic missile LORA (Long-Range Artillery Weapon System). Tests were conducted on the high seas and, among other things, demonstrated the capabilities of the complex to customers.

(Thanks to Alain)

– War on the Rocks – Israel is in the midst of a “turn to the sea”: a systematic allocation of national, corporate, and civil society resources toward the nation’s maritime domain. As many regional actors, including Egypt, Turkey, and Iran, are naval powers, and as global actors such as Russia and the United States have a naval presence in the region, Israel’s evolution has broader implications for regional security.

– Channel 7 – The significance of the State of Israel without a dolphin, a whale and a resurrection is disastrous, warns Brig. Gen. Yossi Ashkenazi, head of the Israeli navy’s naval equipment fleet.

(Thanks to Alain)

– CIMSEC – Militarily, the naval battles of the Yom Kippur War played almost no part in its outcome. They did, however, initiate a technological and tactical maritime revolution. The battles proved the effectiveness of missile and anti-missile systems to control the seas, and ushered in the missile age of naval warfare.

– Breaking Defense – With over 80 percent of Israeli’s commerce carried by sea and its offshore gas fields crucial to the economy, the country is boosting spending on protecting its shipping lanes, littorals and ports with an array of weapons including underwater capabilities, heavily armed patrol boats and new submarines.

– Breaking Defense – The Trump Pentagon is undergoing a major shift to focus on great power competition. And it’s looking for allies to step up in places that might come as a surprise.

– Defense News – The Israeli military has declared initial operational capability of a ship-based version of the Iron Dome intercepting system following a live-fire test earlier in the day that destroyed multiple incoming targets at sea.

– Defense News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that his government has signed a long-awaited memorandum of understanding with Germany to acquire three new Dolphin-class submarines with air-independent propulsion systems.

– National Interest – Israel’s navy is the smallest branch of the Israel Defense Forces. However, the need to protect Israel’s recently-established gas rigs in the Mediterranean against missile and terrorist attacks presents the Israeli navy with a profound challenge. In addition, the Israeli submarine fleet is of tremendous strategic importance—particularly regarding a possible Iranian military nuclear program. Thus, Israel’s navy plays a vital role for Jerusalem’s security.

– Haaretz – Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel tells Haaretz about preparing for an attack on Iran, carrying out scores of airstrikes on Hezbollah and averting clashes with Russian jets in Syria.

– War Zone – On June 20, 2017, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said it had successfully test-fired its Long-Range Artillery (LORA) system from a containerized launcher on the back of a truck sitting on the deck of a cargo ship.

– Jerusalem Post – The Israel Navy’s submarine fleet was put to the test in a surprise six-day drill simulating the outbreak of war, aimed at examining the level of operational readiness of submarines and fighters.