Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, during a visit to the country’s naval base in Ashdod, said that the maritime space “has effectively turned into an international battlefield,” adding: “You see this in the Strait of Hormuz and, of course, in the Bab al-Mandab.”

Netanyahu, who visited the base together with Israel Katz, the defense minister, said that Israel’s enemies are seeking to threaten the country’s maritime space in the Mediterranean, its ports, and its maritime traffic, adding: “We will not allow such a thing to happen.”

He said he has heard from security officials that they need more equipment, adding that the sixth Israeli submarine has arrived in the country and that they are requesting more vessels and equipment.

Netanyahu said he intends to turn Israel into one of the leading countries in both surface and underwater warfare and added: “We will protect Israel in the sea, too.”