By Hezy Laing
The Israeli Navy’s elite submarine unit, Shayetet 7, has dramatically accelerated its operational tempo near hostile coastlines, reflecting a deep strategic shift from traditional littoral defense to far-reaching power projection.
Operating out of the highly strategic Haifa naval base under Commander in Chief Vice Admiral David Saar Salama, the underwater fleet has expanded its presence across critical maritime corridors, stretching from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman.
This escalation comes in direct response to regional multi-front challenges posed by Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Houthi forces in Yemen.
The backbone of this underwater shadow war rests on Israel’s advanced, Dolphin-class vessels.
The current operational fleet consists of five sophisticated hulls, divided between the standard diesel-electric Dolphin I class, which includes the INS Dolphin, INS Leviathan, and INS Tekumah, and the modern Dolphin II class, comprised of the INS Tanin and INS Rahav.
These newer Dolphin II platforms are outfitted with cutting-edge Air-Independent Propulsion systems, allowing crews of roughly 40 sailors to remain completely submerged for weeks to evade enemy tracking.
Advanced artificial intelligence algorithms are integrated into their sonar arrays to automatically filter out background ocean noise, allowing operators to map hostile shores and track low-signature vessels with surgical precision.
Israeli intelligence estimates indicate that submarines now spend more than half of their total at-sea duration on high-stakes, real-world operational deployments rather than routine training exercises.
To expand this reach further, the Israeli Ministry of Defense is integrating its sixth submarine, the INS Drakon. This unique platform features a heavily modified sail design configured to carry much larger, long-range strike weapons.
Experts like Norman Friedman from the U.S. Naval Institute note that these vessels are widely believed to carry indigenous Popeye Turbo submarine-launched cruise missiles, which possess a striking range of at least 1,500 kilometers.
This configuration provides Israel with an indispensable second-strike nuclear deterrence capability hidden deep beneath international waters.
Here are just some of the missions Israeli submarines perform near enemy shores:
1. Deep Intelligence Gathering on Enemy Shores
Submarines were positioned directly off hostile coastlines for visual and electronic surveillance. They mapped out the precise locations of Hamas and Hezbollah naval commanders, enabling subsequent precision strikes.
- Over-the-Horizon Missile Capabilities
Submarines used their large 26-inch torpedo tubes to deploy Popeye Turbo Land Attack Cruise Missiles (SLCMs), allowing them to hit high-value targets deep inland while remaining entirely undetected.
- Tracking the IRGC and Shadow War Operations
Submarines operated deep in distant waters, such as the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, to monitor, intercept, and counter Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vessels involved in arms smuggling to Hamas and Hezbollah.
- Target Bank Generation for the Air Force
The Naval Intelligence Division, heavily reliant on data fed from submerged assets, provided critical targeting data and planning for 95 precision airstrikes targeting leadership and infrastructure.
- Multi-Theater Deployment (Three Arenas Simultaneously)
Submarines were deployed to three operational arenas simultaneously during recent conflicts, maintaining a constant underwater presence across thousands of kilometers to track and target threats.
- Special Forces Covert Insertion
Submarines acted as the primary stealth transport vehicle to covertly insert Shayetet 13 (Naval Commandos) onto enemy shores for targeted capture-or-kill raids against terrorist operatives.
- Gaza Strip Coastal Blockade & Interception
Submarines patrolled the Mediterranean maritime boundary of the Gaza Strip, using advanced sonar to detect and neutralize Hamas frogmen, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), and naval commando cells attempting sea-borne infiltrations.
- Monitoring Houthi Assets in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Operating far from Israel’s shores, submarines monitored Houthi movements and Iranian-backed proxy groups near Yemen, ensuring early warning tracking for regional threats.
- Extended Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) Stealth Operations
Using advanced AIP technology on vessels like the INS Tanin and INS Rahav, submarines stayed submerged for weeks at a time without surfacing, preventing enemy counter-intelligence from tracking Israeli naval movements.
- Long-Range Strategic Deterrence
Submarines maintained a constant second-strike capability footprint in regional waters to deter state adversaries (such as Iran) from escalating multi-front campaigns against Israel.
By continuously placing these silent sentinels near foreign shores, the Israel Defense Forces effectively counter asymmetric threats, secure vital commercial shipping lanes, and maintain unyielding regional maritime dominance
