BBC – Israeli troops take over Gaza aid ship Rachel Corrie

Israeli troops say they have taken control of an aid ship trying to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The Times – Israel stations nuclear missile subs off Iran

Three German-built Israeli submarines equipped with nuclear cruise missiles are to be deployed in the Gulf near the Iranian coastline.

The Times – How the flotilla bound for Gaza Strip sailed into death at sea

The shockwaves from the Israeli commando raid on the Mavi Marmara passenger ferry were still reverberating around the world last night, as Israel scrambled to defend its battered reputation. Already damaged after the Gaza war and a fumbled Mossad assassination of a Hamas militant in Dubai, it faced even tougher scrutiny as it began to examine what happened, and why.

Associated Press – Officials say Israel will stop flotilla for Gaza

Israel’s navy will stop a flotilla heading for Gaza with 10,000 tons of supplies and pro-Palestinian activists intent on breaking a three-year blockade of Gaza, officials said Wednesday, in the first definitive Israeli pledge to stop the boats.

Associated Press – Hezbollah says it will hit Israel ships in new war

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group warned Tuesday that his fighters would attack Israeli ships in the Mediterranean if the Jewish state imposes a sea blockade on Lebanon in any future war.

BBC – Israeli navy ’seizes arms ship’

Israel’s navy has intercepted a ship carrying weapons some 160km (100 miles) off its coast, the military says.

Los Angeles Times – Israeli warships’ passage through Suez Canal causes a stir

The mission prompts speculation that Israel sought to send a message about its military might to Iran and give the impression of close cooperation with Egypt against regional security threats.

Jerusalem Post – IDF warships cross Suez Canal from Mediterranean to Red Sea

Two Sa’ar-5 class Navy ships crossed through the Suez Canal Tuesday, to beef up Israel’s naval presence in the Red Sea. The passage of the ships comes several weeks after a Dolphin-class Navy submarine passed through the waterway for the first time.

Reuters – Israeli sub sails Suez, signaling reach to Iran

An Israeli submarine sailed the Suez Canal to the Red Sea as part of a naval drill last month, defense sources said on Friday, describing the unusual maneuver as a show of strategic reach in the face of Iran.

Christian Science Monitor – How Israel’s naval blockade denies Gazans food, aid

A boat carrying foreign activists and three tons of medical supplies was rerouted Tuesday. Meanwhile, the fishing industry – a key source of jobs and protein – has been crippled.

Defense Technology International – The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified the nation’s Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Israel of Lockheed Martin-designed Littoral Combat Ships as well as associated equipment and services.
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BBC – Israel has confirmed it has ended its blockade of Lebanon.

Washington Post – Israel Lifts Lebanese Sea Blockade.
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Jerusalem Post – In the face of Iran’s race to obtain nuclear power, Israel signed a contract with Germany last month to buy two Dolphin-class submarines that will, according to foreign reports, provide superior second-strike nuclear capabilities.
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New York Times – U.S. and Israeli officials said the successful attack last Friday on an Israeli naval vessel was the strongest evidence to date of direct support by Iran to Hezbollah. The attack was carried out with a sophisticated anti-ship cruise missile, the C-802, an Iranian-made variant of the Chinese Silkworm.

StrategyPage – Chinese Anti-Ship Missiles in Lebanon.
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Haaretz – Four Israel Navy sailors were reported missing after an explosives-laden drone, apparently launched by Hezbollah, hit a naval vessel off the coast of Beirut Friday night.
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Jerusalem Post -For the first time in history the Israeli Navy is participating in a tactical NATO exercise on the Black Sea.
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Jerusalem Post – Israel bolstered its defense ties with NATO on Monday after announcing that the navy would participate, for the first time, in a summertime exercise with the Western military alliance.
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New York Times – The Israeli navy intercepted and seized more than half a ton of high-grade explosives that a Palestinian fishing boat was attempting to bring in to Gaza from nearby Egypt.
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Jerusalem Post – The Israel Navy has decided to cease sending its warships through the Suez Canal, out of concern they will be targeted by global jihad terrorists.
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Haaretz – Israel will take part for the first time in a naval NATO exercise, Sorbet Royal, due to begin on Friday in the Gulf of Taranto in Italy.
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