Interview with Former Israeli Navy Chief: Marine Infrastructure Security Not Just Israel's Problem

Eastern Mediterranean security matters came up during the UOG 2015 conference held last week in Tel Aviv, Israel.

One of the speakers at the event was Vice Admiral (Ret.), David Ben-Bashat, formerly the Israeli navy commander in chief, a position he held from 2004 to 2008. Following his presentation to the conference, Natural Gas Europe conducted an interview with Mr. Ben-Bashat.

NGE: How difficult is it to attack and harm Israeli natural gas infrastructure at sea?

Ben Bashsat: Generally it depends on a few elements, among them the platform's distance from the shore, who the guy is [who wants to cause harm], what kind of terrorist activity, and the operational capability.

If you ask specifically for this region, then we know that there are intentions from the Gaza Strip, where Hamas, a terrorist group, is in control, and from Lebanon where Hezbollah, also a terrorist group, has military means. They have even declared that they can do it. We know of a few attempts [to strike at Israeli marine natural gas assets] by Hamas [from Gaza] that fortunately were unsuccessful. Currently the Hezbollah [because of an involvement in Syria] is not involved in such activities, though the organisation still declares [those intentions]. We, as Israel, are defending ourselves and I believe that we have the right tools to defend ourselves.

NGE: Are the natural gas platforms immune from terrorist attacks?

Ben Bashsat: We are dealing here with terrorist organizations, not a normal country with a government. Such organisations don’t always behave responsibly. Hezbollah has already shot some merchant ships in the region. Therefore if they decide to do something, they don’t care if their actions might harm innocent civilians. And therefore we need to take into consideration that they will not always behave logically. When you are talking about a platform that is in a fixed position, then it is not a big deal for them to find exactly where the platform is located. Therefore, they can make all the preparations and they can get Iranian support or some other organizations' support. We need to take it as a serious threat and that is what Israel does. We take it seriously. And we are organizing ourselves for that.

NGE: What kind of threats is the infrastructure exposed to?

Ben Bashat: We need to consider threats on the water, underwater, from the air and from the shore. We are preparing the answers and this is a combination between [private] forces on the platforms, which are trained, taught and guided by us [the Israeli military], and the envelope around the area that is controlled and patrolled by military forces like the Israeli navy. It is not always an easy task to accomplish, but we do it. Thanks to good intelligence we have good replies to all threats and scenarios.

NGE: What are the possible aerial threats?

Ben Bashsat: Syria and Hezbollah possess missiles that can hit marine objects. There is also a possibility of operating a UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] which can carry explosives. However, the Israeli Navy is well equipped and has an answer to any scenario.

NGE: How important are the four battle ships that the Israeli navy has ordered from Germany in order to defend the country's offshore resources?

Ben Bashsat: Very important. We started it a long time ago. The navy started the push to get [the battle ships]. But Israel has limited resources. However, the government became aware of the need to protect our energy resources and those are far away from the Israeli shore. Our enemies might have the capability to hit them, and therefore, it is very important to upgrade the fleet with ships that can stay at sea [for a long period] and to be around. You need to be there. There is no vacuum [on the sea]. You need to have the picture and to be able to respond quickly at the moment of need.

NGE: How do you see the Russian involvement in the region?

Ben Bashsat: As it was published, the involvement of Russia in Syria is coordinated with Israel. There were meetings between senior officers from both sides. But we still have to watch, though at least there is a coordination. I remember from the Soviet times that the Russians were there without any coordination with us.

NGE: Is Russia's presence in the Middle East posing a threat to Israeli gas interests, like possible natural gas deals with Turkey?

Ben Bashsat: Right now we are not dealing with Turkey [a potential customer for Israeli gas]. Maybe when we make gas deals with Turkey and when contracts are signed, we'll have to find a way to talk to the Russians. Right now it is far away [in the future].

However if Turkey improves relationships with us it will be a big benefit for Israel. They need it so why not do it? Right now I don’t see Erdogan rushing to improve the relationship with Israel. But I also hear rumours that something might happen [between Israel and Turkey]. Maybe the gas will be a leverage for rapprochement between the two countries. For us it is very important. That was the way it was before Erdogan came to power. And it is important for us to cooperate one day with Turkey.

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Since the interview was conducted before the incident in which Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet, I returned to Mr. Ben Bashat and asked him to adapt his answers to the new situation.

"This incident would not lead to war," he said, referring to the incident. "However it is raising the tension between the two countries. So now they have to be very careful in what they do. I see it as a message from Turkey to Russia. So far there are no implications on the Mediterranean and it is more an affair between Russia and Turkey. If the confrontation is not exaggerated by one of the sides, a routine will be resumed.

NGE: Is the security situation of other countries in the region different from Israel's?

Ben Bashsat: I believe that Egypt and Cyprus share the same security challenges as Israel. Therefore, I see room for cooperation between the countries. We can share the [military] picture, the capability, the concept, the intelligence, because this Jihadist international terrorism is aimed at anybody: Americans, Europeans, Middle East countries, Saudi Arabia. Everybody has to be aware of the dangers. [In that respect] Israel is not unique any more."

NGE: So what should be done?

Ben Bahsat: In this region we need to work together--public forces with private. You need to involve other countries in the region. We need to build a security platform among Israel, Cyprus and Greece and invite other countries like Jordan and Egypt to join. In that case, it is win-win-win situation. It concerns not only gas; it is a very strong leverage for other issues.

Ya'acov Zalel