Beyond preparations for threats that may emerge from the coastline, the navy is taking an active and significant role in targeted thwarting operations in Lebanon and in strikes along the coastline.
As part of Operation Roaring Lion, the Israel Navy has in recent days reinforced the forces deployed along Israel’s coastlines in the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, adding more than a thousand additional fighters.
This includes the defense line off the coast of Lebanon and the deeper maritime zone that maintains readily available firepower for a variety of missions, foremost among them protecting strategic assets such as gas rigs, Israel’s shores, and the safe and open shipping lanes used for the entry of fuel, ammunition, spare parts, and goods.
Beyond preparations for threats that may emerge unexpectedly from the coastline, the navy is taking an active and significant role in targeted thwarting operations in Lebanon and in strikes along the coastline.
According to a senior officer, cooperation is underway between the navy and the Northern Command’s Fire Center, and several missile ships have also been added to the forces in the sector, playing a vital role in continuing the war.
So far, the 3rd Flotilla of missile ships, commanded by Colonel A., has intercepted aerial threats and helped the Israel Air Force monitor the airspace, detecting and warning of dangers such as rocket launches and drone attacks.
Israel Navy soldiers; illustrative. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)
Navy’s unique advantages
“The location of the missile ship is classified,” explained a senior officer in the 3rd Flotilla. “It can remain at sea for extended periods, even many weeks, at a high level of readiness to fire, within just a few minutes.” The officer added that “the second purpose of the missile ships’ activity is to free the air force from missions for the Northern Command so it can focus on missions deeper inside enemy territory.”
According to the officer, because of the large number of missions assigned to the navy, operational tasks have been divided among the missile ships of different models.
Within each vessel, “combat operations rooms” have been established, each commanded by a naval officer.
The senior officer further explained that the 3rd Flotilla’s forces allow the Northern Command to choose from a range of firing methods to strike targets, thanks to the navy’s unique advantages in certain combat scenarios.
In the navy, the deployment of forces in the maritime arena was planned for several scenarios regarding how the campaign could unfold in both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
The senior officer commented that “There is planning for the navy to operate in each of the arenas according to the development of the fighting. Wherever the IDF General Staff decides to move within the combat theaters, we will know how to operate, both in the context of the Red Sea and in relation toHezbollah. Right now, the terrorist organization is challenging us, and we are attacking it and degrading its capabilities.”
The senior officer assessed that Hezbollah is relatively restrained compared with Iran’s expectations of it, as well as compared with past attempts to attack from the maritime domain.
“We have attack plans that are being kept in reserve. We are prepared for any scenario. Not all of our activity is made public,” he said.