On the afternoon of November 10th, an unidentified object was picked up on naval radar crossing into Israeli territorial waters off the coast of the seaside city of Nahariya. Before a deterrent air force unit was scrambled, the craft, later identified as a submarine, had penetrated 2-3 nautical miles into Israeli waters.
Responding navy missile boats and Dabur multi-mission patrol crafts were able to chase the submarine out of Israeli territory. However, the craft managed to evade identification of its type and registry.
As of now, the exact source of the submarine is unknown, but an IDF official told Ynet that the submarine was of "Western" origin and was not hostile in nature. Security officials explain it could have been a maritime research vessel or other possibilities. Furthermore, the military is unaware of submarines in the possession of terrorist groups.
The report of the submarine infiltration was first broadcast by IDF Radio this morning, leading to angry reactions by members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, who were apparently not informed of the event.
Responding navy missile boats and Dabur multi-mission patrol crafts were able to chase the submarine out of Israeli territory. However, the craft managed to evade identification of its type and registry.
As of now, the exact source of the submarine is unknown, but an IDF official told Ynet that the submarine was of "Western" origin and was not hostile in nature. Security officials explain it could have been a maritime research vessel or other possibilities. Furthermore, the military is unaware of submarines in the possession of terrorist groups.
The report of the submarine infiltration was first broadcast by IDF Radio this morning, leading to angry reactions by members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, who were apparently not informed of the event.