Israel buys $424m worth of weapons to protect gas fields

The Israeli defence ministry plans to buy weapons systems worth 1.5 million shekels ($424 million) to defend its offshore natural gas facilities, they announced yesterday.

According to the Ynet News, the Israeli defence ministry will buy the weapons systems from Israeli defence contractors, noting that deals will be finalised by the end of 2017 and will be delivered in 2019.

The deal includes a variety of systems for interception, cyber warfare, control and command, communications, navigations and more.

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Ynet News said that these systems would be installed on four patrol ships purchased from Germany in 2015 to secure the gas fields.

“The defence ministry and the defence industries are among the main engines of growth in Israel,” Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, commenting on the deal.

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“These procurement transactions are for the good of the economic water project — the project in which the IDF will protect the gas rigs and it is extremely significant for the state’s defence and security,” he added.

“That’s why there is tremendous importance in continuing investment in defence industries, which provides a living for tens of thousands of families and brings in billions of dollars for the state’s economy every year.”