Posted by
Gray Ghost on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 4:04:53 PM
Today, July 14, 2009, two more Israeli Navy ships passed through the Suez Canal. Both ships were Sa'ar 5-Class corvettes (the Hanit and the Eilat), and are armed with cruise missiles and a fairly good anti-aircraft/missile defense system. Earlier in June, one of the Israeli Navy's Dolphin class submarines had also sailed to the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. Beyond the ability to threaten shipping, some foreign media reports say Dolphins can fire nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and serve as Israel's deterrent "second-strike" capability, allowing Israel to launch nuclear weapons from afar even if the country itself is targeted by a nuclear attack.
My own investigations indicate that these two corvettes can also launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles (the "Popeye").
The Israeli Navy is putting on quite a show.