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Friday, 21 August 2026dailybeirut.com
World
Israeli naval forces intercepted ships in the "Al-Sumud" flotilla heading to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip, hundreds of kilometers off the country's coast, in an area near the island of Crete. This is the third operation carried out by the Israeli Navy against ships heading to break the blockade on Gaza since the outbreak of the war in October 2023.
Israeli naval forces intercepted ships in the "Al-Sumud" flotilla heading to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip, hundreds of kilometers off the country's coast, in an area near the island of Crete.
This is the third operation carried out by the Israeli Navy against ships heading to break the blockade on Gaza since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, with the flotilla being stopped far from the country's coast this time, unlike previous operations.
Israeli media quoted an Israeli security source as saying that "the decision was made this time to surprise them at a long distance, due to the size of the flotilla," according to him.
Israeli reports stated that "the interception of the Al-Sumud flotilla tonight comes within the furthest distance during Israel's interceptions of flotillas heading to Gaza.
Maariv also quoted a military source as saying that the Israeli army is now enforcing a naval blockade on Gaza based on directives from the political leadership.
