IDF holds naval exercise with Greece and Cyprus | Israel Today

The French navy also took part in the exercise, which took place in the eastern Mediterranean. • It is not trivial to take several fleets and for everyone to speak the same language.

• Navy submarine

  Photo: 

  Kfir Ziv

Submarine warfare, naval orders and search and rescue exercise: Israel, France, Cyprus, and Greece held a large naval exercise in the eastern Mediterranean basin last week.

This is the "Noble Dina" exercise, which is considered to be of great strategic importance, and takes place every year under the leadership of Israel. 

Last year the exercise was canceled at the last minute, following an outbreak of the corona plague.

Israel, the United States and Greece usually participate, but this year it is the first time that France and Cyprus also participated. The United States participated in the exercise this year only during planning, but at the last minute did not send the destroyer and the aircraft to the exercise.  

"We have been preparing for this exercise for three months," said the commander of Squadron 33 of the Steels Fleet, Lt. Col. R.

"Usually the exercise planners meet during the preparations, but this time the corona took us to a new reality, and most of the exercise was planned remotely, with Skype and satellite phones," he noted.

An Israeli submarine and an anti-submarine took part in the exercise, Greece sent two missile ships, a submarine, a helicopter and a plane, France sent a destroyer and a plane, while Cyprus sent a helicopter and a missile ship.

One of the main events in "Noble Dina" was an anti-submarine exercise, when the Israeli submarine and the Greek submarine directed an enemy. 

As part of the exercise, the fleets also held concluding sea search and rescue training, as well as parade training, during which all participating vessels sailed side by side and made parades and shapes in the water.

"It's a complex incident, the forces are not organic and it's very non-trivial," the officer said.  

Lt. Col. R. said that during the exercise the sea was "very challenging". "The season at sea was not easy, there were not easy days with high waves, and this created a not easy challenge." According to Lt. Col. R., "This is a super important exercise to sow. "We practiced the dialogue with the foreign troops, and created a professional and commanding dialogue while learning from each other. It is not trivial to take several fleets, put them on the same playground and have everyone speak the same language."