Netanyahu tours Ashdod Navy base with Katz, says a sixth submarine has arrived

Prime Minister Netanyahu toured the Israeli Navy base in Ashdod together with Defense Minister Katz, according to a press release from the Prime Minister's Office dated 04.10.2026. The two were briefed by senior naval officers on the threats Israel faces at sea and on the work of the units based in the country's southern coastal sector.

In remarks issued with the release, Netanyahu said the Navy had told him it needs more equipment, and that a sixth submarine has arrived in Israel. He said the security establishment wants additional vessels and other capabilities, which he declined to describe, and that he intends for Israel to rank among the world's leading countries in naval warfare.

What the visit included

The government's account says the prime minister and the defense minister heard from the officer it calls the Navy Chief of Staff and from the commander of the Ashdod base. The briefing, as described, covered challenges in what the release terms the maritime arena and the activity of the southern sector.

Two units are named in that part of the briefing: a security patrol squadron and a landing craft unit. The release does not describe their size, equipment or recent operations. The visitors were also shown a display of weapons, which the statement says includes both defensive and offensive systems used against threats. It does not list which systems were on show.

Where Ashdod sits and why the Navy is there

Ashdod is a city on Israel's Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and is home to one of the country's main commercial seaports. A naval base there places Navy units close to that shipping hub and to the southern stretch of Israel's coastline. Netanyahu referred directly to seaports and maritime traffic in his remarks, saying Israel's enemies want to threaten them, and that Israel will not allow it.

The Defense Minister heads the Ministry of Defense, the civilian ministry that oversees the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), of which the Navy is one branch. Joint visits by the prime minister and defense minister to military units are a regular feature of official schedules, and are typically accompanied by a statement and photographs from the Prime Minister's Office, as in this case.

The two waterways Netanyahu named

Netanyahu cited two distant chokepoints as evidence that the sea has "essentially become an international battlefield", in his words.

• The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow passage linking the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, lying between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. A large share of the world's seaborne oil passes through it.
• Bab el Mandeb is the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa. Ships travelling between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean must pass through it, including traffic heading to and from the Suez Canal and Israel's southern port of Eilat.

He contrasted those areas with Israel's own waters, saying adversaries also seek to threaten Israel in the Mediterranean. The release does not identify which countries or groups he meant.

Submarines and the request for more equipment

The most specific detail in the statement is Netanyahu's remark that a sixth submarine has arrived in the country. Submarines are among the most closely guarded parts of Israel's military, and official comment on them is usually brief. The release gives no name, class, supplier or arrival date for the vessel, and does not say whether it has entered service.

Netanyahu said the security establishment told him it wants more: more vessels, and other means he said he would not detail. He said his aim was for Israel to lead in this type of warfare, which he described as covering activity both above and below the water, and closed by saying Israel will also be protected from the sea.

What the reports do not say

This account rests on a single source, a press release from the Israeli government, and none of its claims have been confirmed by any other organisation in the material available to us. The release does not say:

• when the sixth submarine arrived, where it came from, or what it cost;
• how many additional vessels the Navy is seeking, of what type, or whether any purchase has been approved or funded;
• which specific threats to the Mediterranean, Israeli ports or shipping were discussed in the briefing;
• which weapons systems were displayed;
• whether Defense Minister Katz made any remarks of his own during the visit.

The statement also carries no comment from the Navy or the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.