IDF says it uncovered ‘potential threat’ to navy ships off Gaza coast

Military does not immediately elaborate on nature of the danger, says troops thwarted it; Palestinian media says Gazan boat targeted

Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

A crewmember of a Dvora patrol boat poses with the ship's machine gun during the Israeli Navy's flotilla in honor of Israel's 70th Independence Day on April 19, 2018. (Judah Ari Gross/Times of Israel)
A crewmember of a Dvora patrol boat poses with the ship's machine gun during the Israeli Navy's flotilla in honor of Israel's 70th Independence Day on April 19, 2018. (Judah Ari Gross/Times of Israel)

The Israel Defense Forces uncovered a “potential threat” to naval ships off the Gaza coast on Monday morning, the military said, without elaborating on the nature of the threat.

“Earlier today, our troops spotted suspicious naval activity in the maritime zone along the Gaza Strip which posed a potential threat to Israeli Navy vessels,” the military said.

“IDF troops detected the activity and thwarted it,” the military added.

The Palestinian news site Shehab reported that a boat was destroyed by two missiles off the coast of the Gazan city of Khan Younis.

After initially saying additional information would be released about the incident, the military refrained from commenting further on the nature of the threat.

“The IDF will continue to take action against dangerous threats on the maritime front,” the military said.

The Israeli military has repeatedly warned that the Hamas terror group, the de facto ruler of Gaza, as well as other terrorist organizations in the Strip have been developing a number of different maritime-based weapons, including naval mines, explosives-laden kamikaze boats and autonomous submarines.

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