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Israel-Palestine
Submarine Penetrated Israeli Territorial Waters
2004-11-15
"Moshe, what's 'ni hao ma' mean?"
Three days after a Hizbullah drone managed to penetrate Israeli airspace, an unidentified submarine successfully penetrated Israeli territorial waters. On the afternoon of November 10th, an unidentified object was picked up on naval radar crossing into Israeli territorial waters off the coast of the seaside city of Nahariya. Before a deterrent air force unit was scrambled, the craft, later identified as a submarine, had penetrated 2-3 nautical miles into Israeli waters.

Responding navy missile boats and Dabur multi-mission patrol crafts were able to chase the submarine out of Israeli territory. However, the craft managed to evade identification of its type and registry. As of now, the source of the submarine is still unknown, or even if the vessel was sent by a hostile entity. Security officials explain it could have been a maritime research vessel or other possibilities. Furthermore, the military is unaware of submarines in the possession of terrorist groups.
Posted by:Mark Espinola

#20  Debka is claiming that the sub was American.

Can't be us, even the Israelis ain't good enough to hear one of ours. Sez in the article they spotted it on radar, sounds like a diesel boat.
Posted by: Steve   2004-11-15 9:37:48 PM  

#19  Wo ai zhongguo ren.
Wo ai zhongguo ren.
Wo ai zhongguo ren.
Ni hao ma; ni hao ma; ni hao ma; zaijien!
Posted by: mojo   2004-11-15 5:34:26 PM  

#18  For whatever it's worth, Debka is claiming that the sub was American.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-11-15 5:18:32 PM  

#17  Sounds like the sort of dangerous, close in work that the stealthy Gulf of Tonkin Class was built for. I wonder if whiz-bangs were spotted.

Posted by: Shipman   2004-11-15 3:38:05 PM  

#16  Another vote for French subs. No pretense any more: France is on the other side in the middle east. As Prime Minister Raffarin put it, "The Iraqi resistance are our best allies." Ditto for the Arafat Martyrs Brigade, Hamas etc.
Posted by: lex   2004-11-15 1:34:07 PM  

#15  Maybe the sub was stolen?

(That's why you should use the sub club; it limits would-be thieves in their choice of escape and evasion patterns to the easily predictable nautilus maneuver...)
Posted by: Phil Fraering   2004-11-15 1:30:00 PM  

#14  It's the Al-Alvin.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-11-15 1:18:18 PM  

#13  The article doesn't specify, but you're all talking about full-sized subs. What if they're smaller, two-man or four-man sized subs, the kind that are more easily deliverable to Syria? Just a thought.
Posted by: longtime lurker   2004-11-15 1:10:26 PM  

#12  Algeria has 2 Kilo class subs, but they are unlikely to be interested in mucking about with the Israelis just now. Egypt has 4 Chinese built Romeos. As MacNails points out, this is a very old design, but the Chinese still build a version of it, the Ming class, and the Egyptian boats have have been upgraded with US and other western weapons and systems, including Sub-Harpoon.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy   2004-11-15 10:06:32 AM  

#11  The're probably French Subs spying on the Israelis and looking to brown nose with the Islamists.
Posted by: BigH   2004-11-15 9:51:37 AM  

#10  I believe Syria has 2 pretty much disfunctional Romeo class submarines , very dated bits of gear . I think the first came off the production line in the mid 1960's

And yeh , I think the nefarious bunch could be City of Atlantis sub crew , they been keeping quite for a long time now ,and being stationed just off cyprus , well within range :P
Posted by: MacNails   2004-11-15 8:45:33 AM  

#9  Heh, The Capt has definitely put the kabosh on the Mad Mullah Marine Marauders!

Hmmm. Who could it be, then? The Atlanteans. Or Nemo (no, not the fish, darnit!). Or, and this is my personal favorite, it was the Secret Navy of the Far Flung Isles of Langerhans... a nefarious bunch, if ya ask me.
Posted by: .com   2004-11-15 8:24:44 AM  

#8  Seems unlikely to be an Iranian sub - this is the Mediterranean coast we're talking about, which is a long way from home for the Iranians, especially since they're unlikely to have sent a sub through the Suez Canal. Much more likely to be the Syrians (if they have any subs) or the Egyptians.
Posted by: Captain Pedantic   2004-11-15 8:17:32 AM  

#7  hehe yeh ! agreed on both posts mate :)
Posted by: MacNails   2004-11-15 7:23:01 AM  

#6  MacNails... I can't seem to get your name right, Mac!
Posted by: Bulldog   2004-11-15 7:21:54 AM  

#5  ManNails - As bad as British built and operated by Canadians?!
Posted by: Bulldog   2004-11-15 7:21:23 AM  

#4  Eeek Russian built and run by Iranians .. not the most proficient team i can think of

Quality Assured
Posted by: MacNails   2004-11-15 7:18:10 AM  

#3  If I remember rightly, Iran has two Russian-built subs.
Posted by: Dave D.   2004-11-15 7:06:27 AM  

#2  So who does possess submarines that would want to sneak one close to the coast of Israel? Any of the Muslim neighbors?
Posted by: Jame Retief   2004-11-15 6:59:39 AM  

#1  hehe the chinese sub got lost again ?! or just on some kind of world tour with an overly keen captain , Sum Yung-Guy ! or maybe Hung Wel-Lo !
Posted by: MacNails   2004-11-15 6:59:29 AM  

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