The Israeli Navy completed a “complex trial” of its latest generation anti-ship missile Gabriel V in August, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced.
In a September 21 video, the Sa’ar 6-class corvette INS Oz was shown launching a missile that destroyed a mock ship target.
“The advanced missiles ensure the preservation of the IDF’s naval superiority, and will be used by the navy in its missions, including the protection of the strategic assets of the State of Israel,” the military said in a statement.
Advanced Missiles
The fifth generation Gabriel V anti-ship weapon is an advanced long-range sea missile system with a range of hundreds of kilometers amid varying sea and air conditions.
According to the IDF, the missile’s impact results in the “thwarting and destruction of a wide variety of targets and threat.”
Currently, Gabriel V missiles are being deployed on the navy’s German-made Sa’ar 6-class corvettes.
Tensions With Hezbollah
The navy test comes amid growing tensions between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group.
In July, Hezbollah warned Israel about its offshore oil and gas installations amid US-mediated diplomatic talks to settle their maritime row.
The dispute concerns some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea’s Karish gas field, which Lebanon claims is disputed territory. Israel insists it lies within its internationally recognized economic waters, The Times of Israel reported.