ASHDOD, Israel, Oct 5 — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel plans to expand its naval capabilities as maritime threats grow from the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb to the Mediterranean Sea.
Netanyahu made the remarks during a visit to the Israeli Navy base in Ashdod alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz, where the two received a briefing from senior naval officers on maritime threats and operations in Israel’s southern sector.
“The maritime space has essentially become an international battlefield,” Netanyahu said. “You see it in the Strait of Hormuz, you see it of course in Bab al-Mandeb.”
Netanyahu said Israel also faced threats to its Mediterranean waters, seaports and maritime traffic.
“Our enemies want to threaten our maritime space in the Mediterranean, our seaports, our maritime traffic,” he said. “Of course, we will not allow that to happen.”
During the visit, Netanyahu and Katz were shown naval combat systems used in defensive and offensive operations.
Netanyahu said security officials had told him the navy needed additional capabilities, including more vessels and equipment.
“A sixth submarine has arrived in the country, they want more; more vessels, more other means that I do not intend to detail here,” he said.
He said Israel intended to strengthen both its surface and underwater capabilities and become a leading force in naval warfare.
“In this field as well, the above-water and underwater, I intend for Israel to be one of the leaders in the world in this type of combat,” Netanyahu said. “We will protect the State of Israel also from the sea.”
The visit came as Israel’s Security Cabinet prepared to convene to discuss the Houthi threat and recent developments around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The developments also highlight the strategic importance of the wider Gulf of Aden corridor, including Somaliland’s coastline and the port of Berbera, which lies along major shipping routes linking the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
Bab al-Mandeb, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and is a key passage for ships heading to and from the Suez Canal.
Hormuz is a key route for global oil and gas shipments.
Netanyahu did not provide a timetable or budget for the planned expansion of Israel’s naval capabilities.
