On the night of 9 December, the Israeli navy attacked warships belonging to the former Syrian regime and sank them in the port of Latakia. According to media reports, the operation is part of a broader campaign to neutralise military facilities of the Syrian armed forces.
Overview of Israeli attacks in Syria. Photo: BBC
According to media reports, this was to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile rebel groups, many of whom were previously linked to Al-Qaeda and other jihadist organisations, in the midst of the chaotic takeover.
Official statements did not mention the number of Israeli warships involved or the exact number of Syrian ships destroyed. Israeli officials stated that all strategic weapons were successfully defeated in the attacks.
It is unlikely that Israeli naval units were actively involved in sinking targets in the harbour - these hits are more likely to have been achieved from the air. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that the strikes against the Syrian navy were secured by the Israeli navy from the sea.
OSA-II class (Project 205U) - missile speedboat. Photo: U.S. Navy
Syrian Navy
The Syrian navy units are stationed in northern Latakia and southern Tartus. The greatest threat potential is likely to have come from the four SS-N-2A/C Styx missiles (obsolete) on each of the Osa fast patrol boats. The majority of the ten Osa-II (SS-N-2C, project 205U, 39 metres, 450 tonnes, 37 knots) delivered by the Soviet Union at the end of the 1970s were stationed in the southern inner harbour of Latakia.
Osa I class, project 205, photo: wikipedia
The remaining five of the nine Osa-I (SS-N-2A, 37 metres, 210 tonnes, 34 knots) delivered from 1970 onwards were located in the northern part of the port of Tartus.
Iranian Peykap-class missile boat. Photo: Official media Iran
Worth mentioning are six small Peykap missile boats of Iranian origin (21 metres, 30 tonnes, 2 Noor Seeziel-FK C-802 each), five of which were spotted in a fishing port a few kilometres north of Latakia and one in Tartus.
Syrian training ship "Al Assad". Photo: milphotos
The photos of the sunken speedboats (Osa-II) shown in the media can be attributed to the port of Latakia. The training ship "Al Assad" (105 metres, 3,500 tonnes, Ro-Ro multi-purpose vessel) is also moored there, which - if it is still afloat - is probably about to change its name.
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