Drill sees Israeli commandos free hostage ship

Soldiers from the Israeli Navy’s elite Shayetet 13 unit wrapped up a day-long drill Tuesday, during which commandos practiced retaking a captured ship with hostages.

The exercise, dubbed “Sea Minister,” began on Monday, with the unit receiving information that an Israeli civilian vessel had been taken at sea with hostages aboard, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said.

The unit then held a situation report, during it made plans to free the hostages and eliminate the terrorists. Following a failed attempt at negotiations, the commandos proceeded to take over the ship.

In addition to Shayetet 13, a number of missile boats also took part in the drill, as well as several ships currently carrying out security operations in the area, according to the IDF spokesperson.

Head of Naval Operations Brig. Gen. Ido Ben-Moshe said following completion of the drill that troops must continue to practice regularly in order to successfully defend the country and its citizens.

The navy “carried out its mission in an exercise on the maritime borders and will continue to train constantly and prepare its forces in order to ensure the security of the State of Israel,” he said.