HAIFA, Israel, March 2 (UPI) -- The head of Israel's submarine force says that his ships can attack overseas targets. Colonel Yoni stated, "The submarine task force is preparing for any scenario the State of Israel has defined as plausible ...."
Israel currently has three Dolphin-class German-built submarines -- the Dolphin, Leviathan and Tekuma. The boats are home-ported in Haifa and purportedly carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
YNET interviewed Yoni who said, "Hitting strategic targets is not always a task the Air Force or the infantry can carry out. A submarine can perform the mission, and it can also be used ... for collecting intelligence and securing the forces about to carry out such a mission. The fact that foreign reports refer to the submarines as a deterring factor says something. In matters having to do with existential threats, we must remain vague."
Yoni also addressed the navy's prohibition on women serving in the country's submarine fleet. "The submarine was not built to accommodate both men and women. We are unable to allocate a special zone on the vessel for women dormitories. Why should we venture into something that has failed in a large part of the fleets in the world, where there is even more lenience on these issues? Is it worth breaking the fabric created between combatants on the submarine? They are under a lot of pressure as it is."
