Information about the entry of an Israeli submarine into Algerian waters and its pursuit by the Algerian Navy has been disseminated by defense experts. The crew of the Israeli submersible were reportedly humiliated by being forced to rise to the surface. The incident has not been officially reported by the two countries.
Have the Algerian and Israeli navies come close to the naval battle in recent days? In any case, this is the information reported on the evening of Thursday, September 30, by Darko Todorovski, a journalist specializing in defense.
“Off the Algerian coast, an Israeli Dolphin-type submarine attempted to follow a training launch of a Club-S cruise missile from an Algerian Project 636 submarine, but in turn it was discovered and pursued by two submarines from Project 636. They forced him to surface and leave the area,” he said on his Twitter account.
It is true that on September 29 and 30, 2021, the Algerian Navy carried out exercises in the 2nd military region, in the north-west of the country, on the border with Morocco. Several vessels were engaged during these maneuvers, in particular submarines from Project 636. Russian-made, these submersibles have the reputation of being particularly silent. Algeria has six which are notably equipped with Russian cruise missiles Kalibr Club-S with a range of 300 kilometers. A Kalibr missile was fired during this exercise. Note that, on September 26, the Moroccan news site in Arabic Afrigate news indicated the presence “of an Israeli submarine in the Strait of Gibraltar”. Have the Israelis pushed their curiosity so far as to approach the maneuver zone? Menadefense, the Algerian site specializing in defense, confirms, Friday, October 1, that an Israeli submarine was present in the western facade of Algerian territorial waters. But not during the exercise of the Algerian Navy.
“According to our information, absolutely nothing happened during this fiscal year, no threatening presence was detected, contrary to what has been reported by some on social networks. A very large perimeter had been freed from merchant traffic to precisely avoid incidents or prying eyes. It was during the preparation of the exercise, on September 27, that an incident took place. An Israeli Dolphin-class submarine was spotted by passive means, then tracked down and forced to surface in international waters and leave the area, “writes Menadefense.
Akram Kharief, the director of this specialized site, explained to Sputnik that this is not the first time that the Israeli army has approached Algerian territory. ” There was in particular the episode of October 1988 , on the occasion of the summit of the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization, editor’s note] consecrating the creation of the Palestinian state, when the Algerian army thwarted an Israeli air force attackHe said. According to him, the Israeli submarine attempt was to be an intelligence mission. The Algerian state considers Morocco and Israel to be hostile entities. They were, once again, designated as such by the Algerian government. General Saïd Chengriha, the Algerian army chief of staff, in a speech during exercises carried out in military region 2. The political and military alliance between Rabat and Tel Aviv is perceived as a threat by Algiers.
“What is positive for the Algerian Navy is that this operation was carried out in a very modern and refined way, without brutality. This Israeli incursion was transformed by the Algerian Navy into an anti-submarine exercise”, notes Akram Kharief.
Humiliation
Contacted by Sputnik, a retired Algerian naval officer confirmed that the command in charge of the operation had respected “the rules of engagement regarding the presence of potentially hostile vessels in territorial waters”.
“The Israeli crew was forced to surface and this is seen as a humiliation. The situation could have escalated, as it is a violation of territorial sovereignty. However, the Israelis could say they were wrong. road, much like the NATO bombers that fly over the Black Sea and are then escorted by planes after violating Russian airspace. It is clear that if the submarine had opened its tubes to operate a firing, it would have been perceived as an act of hostility and the Algerian Navy would have replied on the spot,” added the officer who requested anonymity.
According to him, the Algerian Navy has engaged particularly effective means of deterrence against the crew of the Israeli Dolphin. “In addition to the two submarines of Project 636, the Algerian command dispatched a Super Lynx Mk – 140 submersible hunter helicopter. This aircraft is equipped with MU90 torpedoes and could have sent the enemy vessel to the bottom,” he assures. -he. For our interlocutor, the question which arises is to know “what the Israeli submarine was doing in Morocco”?
“It is possible that he prepared a logistics dock or an armament dock in a Moroccan port for future missions in the western Mediterranean. And it is obvious that the only target is Algeria. In my opinion, Following this episode, we can expect a strengthening of anti-submarine surveillance from Algeria. The command will certainly be more severe in the area and can count on the skills of its Algerian submariners” analyzes the retired soldier.
Note that neither the Israeli army nor even the Algerian army has confirmed, or denied, the existence of this incident on the high seas.
