The fourth day of Operation 'Iron Swords'. A senior official from the Navy spoke with reporters and described the Navy's activities during the days of combat since the deadly attack by the terrorist organization Hamas began on Saturday morning.
According to the same official, at 6:30 AM on Saturday, the Navy observed that from the Gaza fishing zone, several Gaza fishing vessels were heading towards Israel. Among them were three rubber boats and another one that was a fishing boat. The use of the fishing boat was part of a deception exercise by Hamas to make the Navy believe they were civilian fishing vessels. Each boat was carrying between six to eight armed militants.
The same official stated, "We are conducting successful interceptions and attacks on these vessels in this part of the border. Both vessels that attempted to reach the Ashkelon area have been intercepted and destroyed, and two more southern vessels that managed to reach the shore near Zikim, but most of the militants are eliminated after being targeted.
"A number of militants manage to infiltrate from the other side, and we continue to fire at them along with ground forces. Our forces have been under intense and constant fire from various directions, including mortars, drones, and also from naval vessels. We have transitioned into an emergency mode and deployed additional forces. We have dispersed our assets so they will be ready for further surprise incidents. Twice, we thwarted attempts by larger engineering vessels to bring Hamas casualties or bodies into the Strip."
"From there, we are prepared for additional incidents and infiltrations," describes the senior official the days following the attack. "The day that follows, we manage to eliminate another 30 militants in our area. During this time, we also rely on the Air Force's strikes. We are joined by naval vessels from Flotilla 13 and other assets. We are creating a very strong defensive barrier along the entire border with Gaza within three hours.
"Since then, we've had several other sightings of individuals who ventured into the water and likely attempted to reach our territory. We eliminated them and prevented their arrival on the shore. There was another encounter with a unit from Flotilla 13 that went out to deal with observation vehicles and needed maintenance. The unit encountered militants and also received support from Zik. We eliminated the militants, and there were no casualties on our side."
In conclusion, the same official states that "there is a sequence of combat here. It must be said that we are performing well in the defense effort. Not everything is perfect. There are successes, and there are things to learn from."
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