A ceremony was held for the acquisition of the Israel’s latest submarine, the INS Rahav on Tuesday, January 12 in Haifa. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the event, which featured a submarine ordered from Germany a decade ago. Although the submarine’s cost was not explicitly stated, it is estimated to have cost between half a billion to 2 billion dollars.

The INS Rahav, which weighs 2,100 tons and is 68 meters long, is equipped with advanced surveillance systems capable of tracking other ships as well as technology enabling it to avoid detection by enemy craft.

At the ceremony, Netanyahu began his speech by expressing gratitude to the German government, Chancellor Merkel and President Gauck for the Germany’s significant contribution to the fortification of Israel’s naval strength. He also extolled the “productive relationship” between Germany and Israel in the field of security.

Netanyahu pointed out that the new submarine should serve as a warning to Israel’s enemies who seek its destruction. “This submarine has come thousands of miles from the port of Kiel in north Germany to the port of Haifa. Its capabilities will assist us with our defensive and offensive capacities in our naval fleet. It will act as a warning against our enemies who seek our destruction,” he said

Adding that Israel’s navy is capable of striking anyone who seeks to strike the Jewish state with crushing strength and is capable of reaching even the most concealed targets, Netanyahu also addressed Israeli citizens. He reiterated his commitment to their safety and security of Israelis both within and outside Israel’s borders.

“The naval arm of Israel continues to grow all the time and to add crushing power, which can extend to far away and hidden areas. Citizens of Israel need to know that Israel is an extremely strong country. We are doing, and will do everything, to protect you anywhere and in any field.”

President Reuven Rivlin also spoke at the ceremony and echoed the sentiments of gratitude to the German chancellor and the German president. The Israeli president stressed the historical and current importance of dominating the seas.

“Conquest of the seas has always been and always will be an essential mission for the Zionist movement. It became an economic, strategic and political necessity for the tiny state of Israel,” Rivlin said.

He described the INS Rahav as “the most formidable and sophisticated war machine available today in Israeli hands.”

The INS Rahav is the fifth submarine to join the Israeli naval arsenal. It will be followed by a sixth submarine in 2019, the INS Dakar named after the British-manufactured submarine which sunk in 1968 en route to Israel for reasons unknown to this day.

The British submarine was eventually found in 1999 between Cyprus and Crete and some of the wreckage discovered is on display at the Naval Museum in Haifa.