Flotilla 7 Commander: "We have six submarines. The Turks today have 14 and are heading to 18"

After a journey of 8,000 kilometers and 25 days underwater, INS Dolphin entered Haifa port and formally joined the Navy's submarine flotilla. This is the Navy's sixth submarine and the third of the Dolphin AIP class, whose propulsion system is independent of external air, allowing extended underwater operations without surfacing. It is over 70 meters long, about 30 percent larger than earlier Dolphin-class submarines, and its construction at German shipyards took over 12 years.

According to the report, the submarine arrives as the Navy significantly expands operations far from the country's shores, particularly against Iran. "This submarine will know exactly how to bring more weapons, more weapon systems, for more time and farther," said Col. Guy Levi, Deputy Commander of the Navy.

Brig. Gen. Y., commander of Flotilla 7, said that while no significant friction has yet been recorded with other navies, the Navy is monitoring the buildup around Israel: "We have six submarines. The Turks today have 14 and are heading to 18." According to the report, behind the Turkish Navy's buildup stands the doctrine of "Blue Homeland," which sees control and influence in the maritime space as a central component of Turkish power. "It happens to us that we meet submarine to submarine. It's at very, very close ranges," added Brig. Gen. Y.

More than 50 crew members live together on the submarine for weeks under crowded conditions and with no direct contact home. The three daily meals come from a galley of about two square meters, and after weeks underwater the crew gets only a few days on solid ground before returning to sea.