Israel Boosts Naval Protection for Gas Fields

Threats to Israel's gas assets in the eastern Mediterranean have led the defence ministry to review the design of four battleships and increase their anti-missiles capabilities.

According to website DefenseNews, which interviewed a high-ranking naval officer, the redesign will double the number of Iron Dome anti-missile launchers, giving them two.

The redesign follows an intelligence reassessment of Hezbollah's capabilities to attack Israeli gas assets. Hezbollah, the Lebanese group designated by Israel as a terror organisation, has accumulated a vast arsenal of 122 mm Grad-type rockets as well as long-range projectiles that can hit offshore installations.

The Iron Dome is an anti-missile system developed by Israel in order to intercept cheap and unsophisticated short and medium range projectiles. The system has been successfully deployed in Israel for the last few years, preventing damage urban areas from projectiles that were mainly launched from Gaza Strip. Last year it was reported that Israel has developed a marine version of this system. During the 2014 Gaza war, the Palestinians tried to shell Israel's gas assets such as the Tamar platform (pictured below) but failed.

Tamar rig (Credit: Tamar partnership)

“Because of this growing threat, we’re adding another [Iron Dome] launcher on the Sa’ar-6,” an officer was quoted as saying by the website. The launchers will be installed on four new corvettes being built in Germany. Each Iron Dome launcher will be equipped with 20 Tamir intercepting missiles.

The battle ships will be also equipped with Barak 8 anti missile system intended to intercept more sophisticated missiles such as the Russian-made Yakhont cruise missile.

Ya'acov Zalel