History & Overview
by David Hanovice
The Israeli Navy is neither famous nor large. Long
overshadowed by its more glamorous counterparts in the Infantry, Tank Corps and
the Air Force, the Navy has nevertheless built up an
impressive record for itself and managed to make good use of its
indigenous weapon technology and ship design.
The Navy is charged with defense of Israel's 190 km-long coastline on the Mediterranean Sea as well as protecting the state’s vital maritime assets. Operating in two unconnected bodies of water, the
Navy is based in the Mediterranean Sea by way of ports at Ashdod and Haifa and in the Red Sea from the port of Eilat.
The IDF’s impressive fleet of patrol boats, missile boats and submarines are eternally vigilant against hostile forces attempting to attack, sabotage and infiltrate sovereign Israeli territory. Although Israel
does not maintain a specialized marine corps, its highly specialized underwater commando unit (Shayetet 13) has achieved marked success in in amphibious and sabotage
With 70 percent of Israel’s eight million citizens settled in the country’s narrow coastal plain, the Navy bears the immense responsibility for their protection. Israel’s northern border with Lebanon – home to the terror organization Hezbollah – extends many kilometers into the Mediterranean Sea. The Israel Navy stands constant guard against the threats from the north posed by Hezbollah which has sworn itself to Israel’s destruction.
The Navy's main objective lies in
defending the Israeli coastline. The heart of the fleet is the Sa'ar
class of Fast Attack Craft - their exceptional offensive
capability and high speed make excellent tools in the navy's overall
scheme. The air wing of the navy is made up of maritime
reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters used for search and rescue,
generally with minimal armament.
Engagements with terrorists and other
low-intensity conflicts neglected the need for larger ships such as
cruisers or destroyers. The Navy makes full use of its smaller
missile craft and interdiction vessels to keep the Eastern
Mediterranean and Red Seas clean.
In recent years, the Navy has invested time and energy to intercepting cargo vessels loaded with weapons intended for terror organizations. In 2009, the IDF intercepted the MV Francop and seized some 500 tons of weapons destined for use by Hezbollah against Israel’s civilians. In 2001, the Navy intercepted the Santorini - a fishing boat that had sailed from Beirut in Lebanon towards Israel. On board, commandos discovered a large cache of concealed weapons including missiles, rockets, mortars and rifles as well as instruction manuals for the manufacturing of explosives.
The Navy first won
acclaim in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 when it sank eight Arab FFLs without a the loss of a single
Israeli vessel; the crews of the Israeli Navy successfully destroying
or otherwise evading over seventy Arab Soviet-supplied SS-N-2 Styx
During the 1982 Peace for Galilee war with Lebanon, the Israeli navy proved to be
capable of missions beyond policing its waters and landed troops and
armor on the beaches near Sidon using their small flotilla of
amphibious craft with relative success. In Operation
Grapes of Wrath in 1996, Israeli missile craft shelled the coastal roads of
Lebanon. Even still, this defensive role has not relegated the
Israeli Navy to a coast guard mission. The Israeli Navy, while
strategically defensive, is highly offensive tactically and conducts
its mission dynamically and with a high degree of elan.
In 2013, the Navy unveiled the latest acquisition to its growing fleet: the INS Rahav – its fifth Dolphin-class submarine. The Dolphin is considered to be among the world’s most powerful and advanced submarines. A versatile vessel, the INS Rahav possesses a wide range of stealth, surveillance and strike capabilities which suit it for a large variety of missions.
With the added capabilities of Dolphin submarines and Sa'ar V missile corvettes the Navy
possesses the power to operate as far off as the coast of Libya.
The Navy has always been keen to
modernize and one such program is in place today. New systems and
techniques are being developed to meet the unsettling and quickly
changing realities of modern naval warfare, from thrust vectored
propulsion on the Super Dvora MkII patrol craft to the new
Elisra ECM/ESM electronic warfare suite on the Sa'ar Vs. The
well established Israeli high-tech industry has been well prepared to
meet the needs of the ever-mightier fleet of fast attack craft and
this mutual cooperation is ever so visible in the new look and
equipment of the T'sva Hagana L'Yisrael HeylHa'Yam.
The Navy has begun incorporating the
Israeli-designed Typhoon naval gun system into its operational
scheme. The gun, manufactured by El-Op and Rafael,
is targeted thermally and will employ either a 25mm cannon or a .50
cal-triple barrel Phalanx gun. It is intended to be used on patrol
boats and operated by remote control, thus reducing the risk to the
sailors manning it.
Sources: Israel Defense Forces