TEL AVIV (The Sunday Times) -- Three German-built Israeli submarines equipped with nuclear cruise missiles are to be deployed in the Persian Gulf near the Iranian coastline.

The submarines of Flotilla 7 -- Dolphin, Tekuma and Leviathan -- have visited the Persian Gulf before. But the decision has now been taken to ensure a permanent presence of at least one of the vessels.
The flotilla’s commander, identified only as “Colonel O”, told an Israeli newspaper: “We are an underwater assault force. We’re operating deep and far, very far, from our borders.”
Each of the submarines has a crew of 35 to 50, commanded by a colonel capable of launching a nuclear cruise missile.
The vessels can remain at sea for about 50 days and stay submerged up to 1,150 feet below the surface for at least a week. Some of the cruise missiles are equipped with the most advanced nuclear warheads in the Israeli arsenal.
The deployment is designed to act as a deterrent, gather intelligence and potentially to land Mossad agents. “We’re a solid base for collecting sensitive information, as we can stay for a long time in one place,” said a flotilla officer.
Apparently responding to the Israeli activity, an Iranian admiral said: “Anyone who wishes to do an evil act in the Persian Gulf will receive a forceful response from us.”
Photo: A picture taken on May 5, 2008 shows an Israeli Dolphin-class submarine escorted by vessels sailing the Mediterranean Sea off the city of Tel Aviv during special naval maneuvers. (Getty Images)
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