“The achievement was super, and the assault was historic,” Lt.-Col. Tomer, commander of the INS Herev, a Sa’ar 4.5-class missile boat that carried out naval assaults in Syria earlier this month, shared of the strike.
As the ship departed from its residence port in Haifa, the troopers thought they have been heading to a live-fire coaching train at sea.
“I noticed that we managed to maintain the mission such a good secret that even the troopers didn’t know what mission they have been embarking on,” stated the Lt.-Col.
“I advised them that the ship was now crusing deep into Syrian waters, and the mission was to destroy the missile boat fleet of the Syrian Navy,” added Tomer. The troopers have been shocked. For a second, they couldn’t consider what they have been listening to.
“We skilled and ready for fight towards the Syrian Navy throughout our service, although not essentially within the context of this warfare,” he stated.
While driving to base, Tomer obtained a name from his commander requesting him to take a name from a non-public direct line. Upon receiving the plan for the assault, the Lt.-Col. expressed shock, noting, “We couldn’t consider for a second that this [operation] would occur throughout our watch.”
“We have been instructed to move out to sea that very same day. By that night time, we have been able to strike,” he added.
Minutes after the commander’s announcement to the troopers, everybody was already at their stations. The ship sailed northward, passing the Lebanese coast and advancing towards the port of Latakia, the house base of the Syrian Navy.
After hours of crusing, INS Herev was prepared for the assault. However, previous to the strike, the ship was redirected to help the Air Force in destroying a number of anti-aircraft missile batteries that might jeopardize the Air Force’s superiority.
Within minutes, the ship started its exact strikes on the missile batteries.
“INS Herev is absolutely able to conducting all sorts of operations—offensive, defensive, and maneuver assist missions,” the Lt.-Col. famous, additional stating the ship operated “in protection missions, offensive operations in Gaza and Lebanon, and strikes in Syria.”
He added, “In Lebanon, we labored carefully with Division 146 to assist their maneuvers. We performed exact strikes, offering firepower from the ocean. We’re in a very totally different place now concerning interoperability and cooperation.”
He asserted the maneuver was difficult as a result of troops had “to concurrently conduct each protection and offensive operations. We discovered ourselves in conditions the place, whereas getting ready for an assault, a UAV would method, and we needed to intercept it. The staff managed every thing in parallel with excellent synchronization and professionalism. This was the general expertise of the maneuver in Lebanon.”
Retreating from the Syrian coast
After the strike on the Syrian anti-aircraft batteries, the missile ship retreated from the Syrian coast and moved into open waters. The plan to assault Latakia was postponed by practically 24 hours and rescheduled for late afternoon, simply earlier than sundown.
The mission was to execute exact missile strikes on 15 missile boats, which represented the majority of the Syrian Navy’s maritime power. All 15 missile boats have been hit inside minutes. “They sank and have been rendered out of service,” the Lt.-Col. stated.
“The mission wasn’t actually over till we docked on the Haifa port. There, we have been greeted by the Navy commander, V.-Adm. David Saar Salama, who personally thanked each soldier,” he added.
When requested in regards to the Houthi menace and whether or not the missile ship crews are getting ready for potential battle within the Gulf, Tomer replied firmly, “It’s not my position to plan or dictate such missions. As commanders and a crew, we’re able to execute any mission. The ship is ready for something required.”
