Cleared for publication: The Israeli military has thwarted several attempts by Hamas to target Israel's Tamar offshore gas installation over the past week of fighting between the Jewish state and the terrorist group controlling the Gaza Strip.
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The IDF said that both rockets and suicide drones were launched in these attempts, but none ever posed an actual threat to the gas rig, which nonetheless was placed on alert and ordered to temporarily shut down operations.
According to Channel 12 News, Tamar is protected by a ship-borne Iron Dome air defense battery and other measures.
The military said that the Navy has been able to successfully ward off various attacks by Hamas' naval unit, adding it had also destroyed most of the terrorist group's naval infrastructure since Operation Guardian of the Walls as launched on May 10.
In another major blow to Gaza's rulers, the IDF said that the head of Hamas' naval and submarine development scheme was killed in an Israeli strike this week. An IDF official told Israeli media that contrary to some reports, the military has not been able to confirm that the head of Hamas' naval commandos has also been killed.
In the latest round of fighting, the Navy has destroyed eight warehouses that contained naval weaponry, 10 Hamas naval posts, 22 ships belonging to the groups' naval forces, and more.
Israeli Navy Commander Maj. Gen. Eli Sharvit said in a statement, "The most significant thing, as in all of the IDF, is denying [the enemy] capabilities and establishing a strong defense. Therefore, we have attacked bases, vessels, weapons warehouses, infrastructure and operatives. We have acted so that the naval arms of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas would be depressed."
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have significantly expanded their naval units since Operation Protective Edge in 2014, investing in training naval commandos and the relevant procurement, including commando ships and precision drones.
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