Senior Israeli Navy Commander reveals details about historic attack on Syrian naval vessels

Following the recent collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, the Israeli military swiftly destroyed much of the Syrian Armed Forces' assets, including fighter jets, helicopters, tanks and naval vessels.

The primary goal of the unprecedented large Israeli military operation was to prevent abandoned Syrian military hardware from falling into the hands of anti-Israel jihadist terrorists.

While much attention was directed toward the Israeli Air Force (IAF), the Israeli Navy simultaneously carried out a historic operation, destroying much of the Syrian navy.

Israel Defense Forces Lt.-Col. Tomer, commander of INS Herev Sa’ar 4.5 missile boat, offered rare insight into one of the largest military operations in Israeli naval history. 

"The achievement was tremendous, and the attack was historic," Tomer said in an interview with the Jerusalem Post. 

"I realized that we managed to keep the mission such a tight secret that even the soldiers didn’t know what mission they were embarking on," the senior naval commander continued. "We were instructed to head out to sea that same day. By that night, we were ready to strike."

Tomer remembers the moment he informed his crew about the importance of the historic naval mission. 

"I told them that the ship was now sailing deep into Syrian waters, and the mission was to destroy the missile boat fleet of the Syrian Navy," Tomer recalled. "We couldn’t believe for a moment that this [operation] would happen during our watch."  

Tomer revealed that the Israeli Navy has been training for similar operations against its Syrian counterpart for years.

"We trained and prepared for combat against the Syrian Navy during our service, though not necessarily in the context of this war," he said. 

"INS Herev is fully capable of conducting all types of operations – offensive, defensive, and maneuver support missions," the Israeli naval commander assessed, referring to recent naval operations against Hamas terrorists in Gaza and Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. 

"In Lebanon, we worked closely with Division 146 to support their maneuvers. We conducted precise strikes, providing firepower from the sea. We're in a completely different place now regarding interoperability and cooperation," he added. 

Tomer summarized the historic recent destruction of the Syrian Navy’s 15 missile boats, saying, "They sank and were rendered out of service."

"The mission wasn't truly over until we docked at the Haifa port. There, we were greeted by the Navy commander,” he concluded. 

While most of the IAF's platforms are of American origin, the Israeli Navy primarily relies on German-manufactured military vessels and advanced submarines.

In recent years, the Israeli Navy has expanded as it takes on the growing responsibility of defending Israel’s strategic naval assets, including the nation’s multibillion-dollar gas fields in the Mediterranean. 

Meanwhile, Germany is also purchasing Israeli military technology. In December, the German Navy tested an Israeli-developed unmanned drone submarine in the Baltic Sea.