The Israelis “surprised” the German government with an urgent order for two German-made surface warships to patrol the Israeli Mediterranean coast. The two warships are heavily-armed and stealthy corvettes which are “extremely hard to spot by shore- or ship-based radars.” The Israelis already have two more ultra-modern, diesel-powered submarines on order from Germany, so Germany is becoming the supplier of choice for Israeli warships.
The Debka report (see link below) indicates these ships are urgently needed to protect such high-value targets as “power stations and naval bases” from attack, given the “spiraling tensions with Iran.” It speaks volumes that the Israeli military “decided to set about strengthening the country’s marine defenses in the shortest possible time” (emphasis added). The urgency of this request indicates that the Israelis realize that they could be attacked from the sea by Iran or Iranian proxies (as some of my previous blogs have noted) very soon after any Israeli strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The Israelis might receive their two new warships much quicker than anyone would have expected. Such ships usually take years to plan, build and outfit for deployment. However, Germany is withdrawing its naval detachment from the Lebanese coast soon, and that German flotilla has two of the very corvettes that the Israelis want as soon as possible. There is a possibility that Germany will sell two of its “combat-ready” warships to the Israelis for immediate use by the Israeli navy. The report indicates that German Prime Minister Merkel is considering the request.
This is a very urgent request by the Israelis. The extreme urgency of this request infers that the Israelis expect to be at war before too long, and they need those warships now! Of course, an Israeli and/or American strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities has been rumored for many months. The last deadline I saw in media reports for Iranian compliance with international demands to stop its nuclear program was this December (next month). Iran is stonewalling the international community, as usual, and that makes war more likely. This sudden order by the Israelis for more German warships is the kind of action one would expect if war is, indeed, imminent.
Even if Germany sells two of its surface warships to the Israelis, it would take months for the Germans to fully train an Israeli crew how to run and operate each of these ships to its optimum capacity. I wonder if the Israelis will consider “leasing” the German crews to operate these warships under Israeli commanders and Israeli flags?
http://www.debka.com/headline_print.php?hid=6343
