Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Israeli Navy base in Ashdod on Sunday, accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz.
During the visit, the Prime Minister and Defense Minister received a briefing from the Navy Chief of Staff and the Ashdod base commander on the challenges in the maritime arena and on activity in the southern sector, including the routine security flotilla and the sector's amphibious company.
Netanyahu and Katz also viewed a display of combat systems used against defensive and offensive threats.
In a statement at the base, Netanyahu said: "I am visiting the Navy base in Ashdod today together with the Defense Minister and Navy commanders. I am impressed by the strength, the people, the equipment. We know that the maritime space has become an international battlefield. You see it in the Straits of Hormuz, you see it of course in Bab el-Mandeb, and our enemies want to threaten our maritime space in the Mediterranean, our seaports, our maritime traffic. Of course we will not allow that to happen."
"I heard from the security officials that they need more equipment," the Prime Minister continued. "A sixth submarine arrived in the country [but] they want more; more vessels, more other systems that I do not intend to detail here. But I will tell you one thing: in this field as well, the surface and subsurface, I intend Israel to be one of the world leaders in this type of warfare. We will protect the State of Israel from the sea as well."
