New Israeli doomsday submarine expands Iran attack options

The INS Drakon adds another layer of deterrence as Israel prepares for potential conflict with Iran.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel has acquired a new advanced submarine from German defense manufacturer ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), with the vessel’s estimated $635 million price tag reflecting its sophisticated capabilities and potential strategic value in a conflict with Iran.

The submarine, INS Drakon — whose name means “dragon” in Hebrew — is expected to expand Israel’s ability to conduct long-range operations at sea and provide a strategic safeguard against a potential surprise attack that could temporarily disable portions of the country’s conventional military forces.

Dr. Ehud Eilam, an Israeli national security expert, told Fox News Digital that the submarine could play a particularly important role if Iran launched a major surprise attack against Israel.

“Some of them would have to be at sea, on high alert, around the clock, if Iran suddenly attacked Israel in such a way that would cripple the IDF, including its strategic capabilities,” Eilam said.

“In such a drastic scenario, Israel’s submarine/s that would be at sea could respond,” he continued.

Eilam noted that submarines operating at sea would have an important advantage over vessels and other military assets based at Israel’s Haifa naval facility, which could potentially be targeted in a major attack.

“Israel’s other submarines might be in Haifa harbor at the time. They might be attacked and unable to operate. This demonstrates how important it is to always have submarines at sea.”

The INS Drakon is also significant because of its potential implications for Israel’s ability to strike distant targets, particularly as tensions between Jerusalem and Tehran remain high.

Eilam said the vessel’s larger size compared with Israel’s existing submarines could indicate an effort to expand the range and flexibility of its weapons systems.

“Israel’s new submarine is bigger than others, which suggests Israel wants to have more options, such as increasing the range of the submarine’s missiles so they can reach every target in Iran, even if the Israeli submarine is in the Mediterranean Sea,” Eilam said.

“That way the submarine does not have to get closer to Iran, which requires crossing the Suez Canal, and this could be very risky, if not impossible in some situations,” he added.