Russia – Israel – The Syrian War  And the Mediterranea

Russian submarine found near Israeli coast

This incident could have long-term consequences as it may be perceived as part of Russia’s attempts to intervene more in the region after the Syrian civil war.

A few months ago, the Israeli Navy identified a Russian submarine about eight miles away from the Dan coastal area in central Israel, reported Ynetnews.

Russian submarine spotted in Israeli territorial waters

The submarine breached Israel’s maritime border; Israeli military didn’t elaborate on whether the country’s security has been harmed in the incident

After IDF naval officers consulted with their Russian counterparts, the Russian submarine left the area and sailed west to the Mediterranean.

The IDF did not confirm whether Israel’s security was damaged and how long the Russian submarine stayed there.

In the past, such incidents took place between Israeli and Russian vessels in international waters in the Mediterranean routes, and the tension ended with coordination between the crews. In one case, an Israeli Navy missile ship approached the Russian aircraft carrier „Kuznitsov” just a few hundred meters away.

This incident caused concern as the Russian submarine’s infiltration into Israel’s sovereign waters could have long-term consequences for they can be perceived as part of Russia’s attempts to intervene more in the region after the Syrian Civil War – given the fact that the submarine is actually a secret vessel for intelligence gathering.

The submarine was located by the IDF naval forces some eight nautical miles (15 kilometers), while Israeli territorial waters stretch to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) off the shore.

Once it became clear the submarine was Russian, the Naval officers contacted their Russian counterparts, activating the Naval Coordination Mechanism between the two countries through the Planning Directorate (a directorate in the IDF General Staff).

This prompted the submarine to leave the area and head toward the western Mediterranean.

The Israeli military did not elaborate on whether any damage has been done to the security of the state or for how long the submarine stayed in Israel’s territorial waters.

From time to time the IDF naval forces discover targets within the mentioned territorial borders, which may be perceived as being vessels belonging to foreign military.

 The presence of Russian submarines in Israel’s territorial waters could be part of Moscow’s recent attempts to entrench itself in the Middle East after it has established its military presence in Syria. The maneuver could also have long-term implications on Israeli security if it was to be revealed that the submarine had intelligence-gathering capabilities. (Dumitru Sorin).