Germany Sells Four Warships to Israel

Israel bought four German-made corvette warships on Monday to help secure its Mediterranean gas rigs, with Berlin heavily subsidizing the deal, Israel’s Defense Ministry said on Monday.

The ships, worth 430 million euros ($480 million), will be built by Thyssen Krupp and delivered within five years, providing significantly more fire power to Israel’s navy.

The German government will pay 115 million euros towards the cost. Thyssen Krupp also committed to buy 700 million shekels ($181 million) worth of Israeli goods under the contract.

“The deal signed today is an event of the utmost significance that dramatically upgrades the navy’s capabilities of defending the state of Israel’s strategic sites in the gas realm,” Defense Ministry director-general Dan Harel said.

Israel’s economy would also be buoyed, he added.

Israel has huge and mostly untapped gas fields that cover some 9,000 square miles of sea — more than Israel’s territory on land.

Israeli planners see possible sea-borne or rocket threats to gas facilities from Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, making expanding the naval presence a priority for them.

Israel’s navy chief, Admiral Ram Rotberg, said in a separate statement that the corvettes would be classed as “Saar 6” missile boats, suggesting a major improvement in capabilities.

According to the navy website, its biggest warships are currently “Saar 5” missile boats.

An Israeli media report said the Saar 6 vessels would be significantly larger, with twice the operational range of the Saar 5 class.

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the May 12th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.