Jerusalem Post reveals details of Israeli Navy operations
The Israeli Navy used missile boats and the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit for operations against vessels, targets in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as for gathering intelligence on Iran, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Interception of the flotilla
According to the publication, in May the Israeli navy intercepted about 80 vessels of a Turkish flotilla that was attempting to break the blockade of Gaza. About 600 military personnel, Shayetet 3 missile boats and Shayetet 13 fighters were involved in the operation. The vessels, newspaper sources claim, were seized about 800 kilometers from Israel's coast.
The command initially determined the flotilla's location and movement order to prevent the vessels from dispersing after the interception began. The operation was carried out in two stages: after the first series of seizures, the boats formed a blocking formation and then continued the interception when the remaining vessels drew close again.
To hold the detainees, according to the newspaper, two landing ships converted into floating detention centers were used. They could accommodate between 600 and 700 people; Israeli Prison Service personnel were also aboard. The return of all ships after the operation took four to five days.
Strikes on targets in Gaza and Lebanon
The publication claims that the March 24, 2025 strike that killed Ismail Barhoum in Khan Younis, who was responsible for Hamas finances and institutions in the group's political bureau, was carried out by the Israeli Navy. Previously, the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security service reported Barhoum's death but did not specify the fleet's role.
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According to The Jerusalem Post, missile boats can simultaneously perform defensive tasks, including protecting Israel's offshore gas fields, and prepare for strikes. Some ships have long-range surveillance capabilities, sensors and 76-mm guns, and can also coordinate fire with land battalion commanders.
On March 5, the Navy, according to the newspaper, carried out a precise strike on the Beddawi Palestinian camp in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, killing Hamas commander Wasim Atallah Ali. The Israeli army stated that he was responsible for the instruction and military training of Hamas's military wing in Lebanon. According to the publication, the ship that carried out the strike had been in the operational area for five days.
Intelligence on Iran and possible blockades
On March 26, the Israeli military stated that naval intelligence helped with the strike that killed Iranian Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri in Bandar Abbas, as well as in identifying targets related to the production of naval cruise missiles, submarines and other underwater threats.
The publication's sources also noted that part of the Navy command views a naval blockade of Lebanon or Syria as a potential pressure tool, although such actions are not currently being actively considered. The article also separately discusses the need to strengthen Israeli maritime capabilities in the Red Sea amid the threat to shipping posed by Yemen's Houthis.
