IDF warship patrols in Red Sea
IDF warship patrols in Red SeaIsrael news photo: Flash 90

The IDF plans to purchase a “Super Dvora Mk III” warship which will be stationed off the coast of Israel’s northern border, near Lebanon, the IDF website reports.

The ship, a fast patrol boat, has until now been used off the coast of Gaza, while the IDF has used only the Super Dvora Mk I and Mk II in the north.

A naval officer was quoted as saying, “This process will improve defense in the north. This Dvora ship is able to take off more quickly and to maneuver more easily. It has more radar capability and stronger firepower.”

The latest Super Dvora ships are already used off the coast of southern Israel, he noted, “and are proving to have excellent operative capabilities.”

The border at sea is unlike the border on land, he continued. There is no physical barrier preventing terrorism, only a line of buoys marking the border.

It is the soldiers on Israel’s Dvora-class ships that patrol and defend the border, he said.

The announcement regarding the boost to Israel’s naval strength along the border comes shortly after a rocket attack by Lebanese terrorists on northern Israel. Israel responded to the attack with an airstrike; the terrorist group behind the attack vowed revenge in response.

Recent attacks in Lebanon have led to concern that the unrest in Syria may be spilling over the border.