Israel's navy to receive two US-made landing craft
The vessels could be used against Hezbollah
The Israeli government approved the procurement of two naval landing craft in the upcoming months.
Israel hasn't obtained this type of vessels since 1993 as there weren’t considerable threats in the region coming from the sea, but with Hezbollah strengthening its positions in Lebanon the situation is changing, i24NEWS correspondent Ariel Levin Waldman explained.
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“Israel is looking north and saying Hezbollah is gaining power, they are an Iranian proxy and the time is quickly coming that a confrontation with Iran could very well be on the agenda,” Waldman said.
The contributor argues the quickest way to stop potential Iranian attack is to hit Beirut, but doing so by land fortified by Hezbollah is much less effective that a direct strike from the sea, which requires wider naval capabilities.
Israel currently has only seven corvettes and eight missile boats designed to intercept threats coming into Israel but doesn’t have the ability to project force, according to Waldman. The American-built vessels are expected to join a new squadron at the Ashdod Naval Base in a few months.
The landing craft are small to medium sized vessels that were largely used during World War II. It is designed to transport soldiers, equipment, vehicles and supplies from sea to shore during military offensive operations. The craft can carry around 200 men and up to 75 tons of cargo. It can also be used for raids inside enemy territory.
Earlier in April, the Israeli Navy and US Fifth Fleet concluded the biggest joint drill in the Mediterranean and Red seas.