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.



WHO Chief to Cut Costs, Reset Priorities after US Exit, Document Shows

UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) boxes wait to be loaded into a UAE plane headed to Egypt's El-Arish airport on January 24, 2025 at an airport in Dubai, as part of a humanitarian mission organized by the United Arab Emirates to deliver humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Fadel Senna / AFP)
UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) boxes wait to be loaded into a UAE plane headed to Egypt's El-Arish airport on January 24, 2025 at an airport in Dubai, as part of a humanitarian mission organized by the United Arab Emirates to deliver humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Fadel Senna / AFP)
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WHO Chief to Cut Costs, Reset Priorities after US Exit, Document Shows

UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) boxes wait to be loaded into a UAE plane headed to Egypt's El-Arish airport on January 24, 2025 at an airport in Dubai, as part of a humanitarian mission organized by the United Arab Emirates to deliver humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Fadel Senna / AFP)
UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) boxes wait to be loaded into a UAE plane headed to Egypt's El-Arish airport on January 24, 2025 at an airport in Dubai, as part of a humanitarian mission organized by the United Arab Emirates to deliver humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Fadel Senna / AFP)

The World Health Organization will cut costs and review which health programs to prioritize after the US announced its exit, its chief told staff in an internal memo seen by Reuters.
US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal on the first day of his second term on Monday, alleging that the global health agency had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.
"This announcement has made our financial situation more acute...," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a memo to staff dated Jan. 23. It said that the agency planned to significantly reduce travel expenditure and halt recruitment as part of a series of cost-saving measures.
A WHO spokesperson confirmed the memo was authentic but declined to comment further.
The United Nations confirmed on Thursday that the US was due to withdraw from the WHO on Jan. 22, 2026.
The United States is by far the WHO's biggest financial backer, contributing around 18% of its overall funding. WHO's most recent two-year budget, for 2024-2025, was $6.8 billion.