July 14, 2006 is considered by Lebanese people as one of the most significant days in the 33-day Israeli war on Lebanon. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah’s words are still resonating as he declared the missile strike on an Israeli Navy ship.
“Now… In the middle of the sea… Look at the warship that has attacked Beirut, while it burns and sinks before your very eyes,” Sayyed Nasrallah said in a voice message via Al-Manar on Friday, July 14, 2006, in the third day of the Israeli war in Lebanon.
The strike on the Israeli Navy ship (INS) Hanit – also known as Saar-5 – was the first direct strike on an Israeli warship in decades.
The attack took place west of Beirut, when the Saar-5 Class destroyer was on patrol as part of the naval blockade imposed on Lebanon since July 12, 2006.
At least 4 Israeli soldiers were killed in the strike, with many others injured, according to Israeli media.
Israeli assessments showed that the ship was struck by a a C-802 radar-guided anti-shipping missile manufactured in Iran using Chinese technology, with range being estimated to be about 110 km.
“An investigation found that the missile, likely a Chinese-made C-802 anti-ship cruise missile, successfully hit its target because officials didn’t believe that Hezbollah had such sophisticated technology, and didn’t turn on anti-missile systems capable of defending against it,” Times of Israel reported.
The 2006 July war was widely seen as a mishandled one that failed to achieve the objectives set by then-premier Ehud Olmert, including the so-called “destruction of Hezbollah.”
“The strike on the Hanit symbolized for many how overconfidence fed into that failure,” Times of Israel wrote in August 2019.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
