Aircraft overflow affair at Hatzor base: According to a senior Air Force officer, only 16 months later, some 16 F aircraft will return to action

• The F-16 aircraft is submerged in a Hatzor base

Following the flooding at Hatzor Base, in which eight 16F aircraft were damaged, a senior air force official (Tuesday) makes it clear that they will not take risks - and will return the aircraft to operation only after extensive treatment.

"The Air Force commander appoints a team to investigate the incident," a senior Air Force officer said in an interview with military reporters this evening. "We removed the water from the underground housing and passed a thorough inspection. Five planes will return in the coming days and three planes return within two to three months. They were in deep water at high levels and electronic components in the aircraft could be damaged. We will not take any risks with these planes.

"The planes will undergo extensive treatment in the Air Force's technical system. We will make sure that the entire process is of a safety standard and maintains operational readiness. All aircraft will return to flight."

The officer made it clear that the drainage inside the base was working. "So far we have not evacuated aircraft because there were no weather conditions that required it. In the previous event we were wrong not to evacuate the planes. The expert team investigating the incident will analyze the staging and submit findings to the Air Force commander. We will not take any risks on corrosion."

According to the senior officer, the damage estimate "does not exceed hundreds of millions, and when we know we will also be updated".