{"id":626297,"date":"2026-09-24T19:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T19:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/626297\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T19:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T19:06:31","slug":"idf-chief-isaac-herzog-hail-ins-drakon-arrival-as-major-boost-to-israels-navy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/626297\/","title":{"rendered":"IDF chief, Isaac Herzog hail INS Drakon arrival as major boost to Israel\u2019s navy"},"content":{"rendered":"

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir<\/a> on Thursday called the arrival of Israel\u2019s sixth submarine, the INS Drakon, a major step in strengthening the IDF\u2019s capabilities during a ceremony at Haifa’s naval base.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven these days, our eyes are open toward what is happening in Iran and among its proxies. The Iranian regime is hurt and wounded, but has not learned to change its intentions,\u201d Zamir said at the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the integration of the INS Drakon into the Navy, the Navy<\/a> reaches improved maritime readiness and new heights in its capabilities and operational strength: more covert, farther-reaching, deeper and more lethal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zamir added that Israel\u2019s recent military achievements were \u201cunprecedented,\u201d citing operations against senior figures, strengthened defensive readiness, improved deterrence and expanded operational capabilities.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Israeli Navy unveils the new INS \u201cDrakon\u201d submarine at the German Naval Yards Holdings in Kiel, Germany, November 12, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)Herzog: ‘INS Drakon’ is a new chapter for Israel’s Navy<\/p>\n

President Isaac Herzog said the vessel represented a glimpse into the future of the Navy, and added that the submarine<\/a> fleet would expand Israel’s operational capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, as we receive the INS Drakon into the ranks of the Navy, we look for a moment into the future,\u201d Herzog said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Drakon submarine joining the Navy today, like the additional submarines that will arrive after it, together reflect the bright future of the Navy. A future that means innovation, a future that means broader operational capabilities, a future that means immense power available to the State of Israel, more than ever before.<\/p>\n

“Power that we will be able to use, and will not hesitate to use when necessary, even thousands of kilometers from Israel\u2019s borders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herzog<\/a> said that in recent years, the Navy sailors and many others involved in the project had worked at the Kiel naval base in Germany.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past two years, Israeli Navy soldiers and many others connected to this enormous project worked at the Kiel port on German soil. Another almost unimaginable symbol,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEighty-one years since the terrible Holocaust, the nation-state of the Jewish people is building together with Germany the crown jewel of global defense engineering. At the same time, the State of Israel is not only importing security equipment from Germany, but is also exporting advanced defense systems to it, thereby contributing to the defense of all of Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herzog thanked Zamir, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Ministry of Defense Director General Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amir Baram, Navy commanders and soldiers, and representatives of the German government and Thyssenkrupp for their roles in bringing the submarine into service.<\/p>\n

Addressing the submarine crews, Herzog praised their work and said the arrival of the Drakon marked a new chapter in Israel\u2019s naval capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbove all, I want to thank you, the submarine fighters under the command of Cmdr. O. Two years of training and long weeks at sea have brought you here as heralds of a new chapter in Israel\u2019s maritime strength,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hold in our hearts, with appreciation and pride, the memory of the 69 members of the Dakar crew, and send a comforting embrace to their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

He told the Drakon\u2019s crew that the human element remained the decisive factor despite the submarine\u2019s advanced technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, when the Drakon submarine is entrusted to you, the fighters of the submarine flotilla, among the finest sons and daughters of Israeli society in all its diversity, we remember one clear principle: the person determines. The person operating the machine, whether it is the most advanced and expensive machine, is the one who will always bring victory and the ability to complete the mission in full,\u201d Herzog said.<\/p>\n

Herzog also referred to the legacy of the INS Dakar submarine, which disappeared in 1968 and whose crew of 69 sailors were lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven at this ceremony, especially at this ceremony, we remember well the painful journey of the Dakar submarine, whose name not only serves as inspiration for the Drakon submarine, but also represents the immense courage and strength of spirit that characterized its crew,\u201d Herzog said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Thursday called the arrival of Israel\u2019s sixth submarine, the INS…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":626298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[136093,170,1031,85,46,26342,43,8404],"class_list":["post-626297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-german-submarines-israel","tag-germany","tag-idf","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-israel-navy","tag-news","tag-submarine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/626298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}