Israel to Receive New Sa'ar 6 Warships From Germany

The Haifa warship, one of two Israeli warships that just crossed into the Suez Canal on Monday, is seen in the Suez canal September 5, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer
The Haifa warship, one of two Israeli warships that just crossed into the Suez Canal on Monday, is seen in the Suez canal September 5, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer
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Israel to Receive New Sa'ar 6 Warships From Germany

The Haifa warship, one of two Israeli warships that just crossed into the Suez Canal on Monday, is seen in the Suez canal September 5, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer
The Haifa warship, one of two Israeli warships that just crossed into the Suez Canal on Monday, is seen in the Suez canal September 5, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer

Israel will receive the first of four new missile ships in December to defend its shores and vital sites, according to Israeli army spokesman.

The Sa'ar 6 ships were handed over to Israel from a marine shipyards in Germany.

"The first of the new missile ships set to defend Israel’s shores and strategic sites will arrive in early December, after it was handed over to the Navy from the Thyssenkrup Marine shipyards in Germany," the spokesman said in a statement.

He said the ships deployment aims to protect the Israel's economic zone in the Mediterranean Sea and to be capable of facing asymmetric battle methods facing the Navy from land.

The Sa'ar 6-class corvette is a class of warships initially ordered for Israel's Navy in 2015.

Command over the ship was officially transferred on October 29 from Germany to Israel.

According to the spokesman, the Sa'ar 6 has a handful of unique capabilities intended to handle various threats.

"It has numerous communications systems operated by the army in order to communicate with a handful of units, as well as an Anti-Ballistic Missile system and radar-based steep-shot shooting interception."

The ships will additionally be armed with the means for detecting aerial and field targets, allowing the Sa'ar 6 to face a wide range of threats. It can also carry a Sea-Hawk helicopter.



North Korea's Kim Makes Rare Visit to Russian Embassy as Ties Deepen

A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su
A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su
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North Korea's Kim Makes Rare Visit to Russian Embassy as Ties Deepen

A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su
A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare visit to the Russian embassy in Pyongyang with his daughter on Friday to celebrate Russia's Victory Day to mark the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, state media said.

Kim said North Korea will "consolidate and develop the long tradition of the DPRK-Russia relations, the noble ideological foundation and the invincible alliance", KCNA reported.

North Korea's unprecedented deployment of thousands of troops, as well as huge amounts of artillery ammunition and missiles, has helped Russia push back a Ukrainian incursion into its western Kursk region. It has also brought North Korea and Russia - both economically and politically isolated - closer.

About 600 North Korean troops have been killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine out of a total deployment of 15,000, according to the South Korean intelligence.

In return, Pyongyang appears to have received technical assistance on satellites, as well as drones and anti-aircraft missiles, South Korea has said.

Russia marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two on Friday with a military parade attended by China's Xi Jinping that Moscow fears Ukraine will try to disrupt after three years of a full-scale Russian invasion.

"Pyongyang and Moscow will always be together," said North Korea's foreign minister Choe Son Hui, according to KCNA.

Pyongyang and Moscow have denied the weapons trade, although the two countries have confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops on the frontlines in Russia's Kursk region.