⚓ Drakon arrives amid plans for a larger fleet: INS Drakon has arrived in Israeli waters, with formal receipt of Israel’s sixth submarine at Haifa Naval Base scheduled for the day after the source report. The Dolphin 2-class vessel completed a nearly month-long, 3,792-nautical-mile voyage from TKMS’s shipyard in Kiel, Germany, following around 12 years of planning, construction and testing. At 74 meters and 2,600 tons, it is the largest and heaviest submarine Israel has received.
Installing Israeli systems is expected to take two to three months, with operational status expected only months afterward. Navy officials said delivery was delayed several months because Denmark and Norway prevented TKMS from testing the submarine in their deep waters, requiring tests farther out in international waters in the North Sea.
The Navy plans to multiply its fleet’s size in response to a regional maritime arms race and new threats. Its assessment found that other Mediterranean countries, including allies and countries with strained ties with Israel, operate significantly larger navies. The military also cites Iranian and Houthi restrictions on navigation around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, which have harmed Gulf and Red Sea shipping routes. Navy officials fear similar disruption in the Mediterranean.
The first of five Reshef-class corvettes is expected within three to four years. They will replace the two oldest models of Sa’ar 4.5-class missile boats, due to retire after four decades, while increasing the overall number of small missile boats.
🛡️ Gaza tunnel, Syria deployment and Lebanese Army supplies: The IDF said combat engineers located a 600-meter tunnel in central Gaza running from the Israeli side of the “Yellow Line” into the Hamas-held part of the Strip.
In Syria, the IDF said its 228th Reserve Brigade, under the 210th Division, completed a three-month security-zone mission to remove threats to Israel. Troops questioned dozens of suspects, apprehended several operatives, dismantled terrorist infrastructure and found dozens of weapons, including RPG rockets, mortar shells and Kalashnikov rifles. The 2nd Brigade will replace it. The IDF said the division will continue operating to protect Israeli civilians, particularly Golan Heights residents.
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut announced that Washington delivered 16 million rounds of ammunition to the Lebanese Army.
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