Israeli navy receives first of two landing ships from US

New ship represents Israel's increasing focus on its naval capabilities to defend itself against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza

The Israeli Navy received the first of two landing ships from the US, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday.

The ship, named INS Nahshon, was handed over to the commander of the Haifa naval base on Tuesday in a U.S. ceremony, will sail to Israel in a few months and is expected to be operational in 2024, the IDF stated.

The landing ships will “strengthen the Israeli Navy's ability to support multizone operations by moving equipment and personnel to near and far operational theatres,” according to the IDF.

The construction of the landing ships began four years ago in the United States.

Israel has not had any landing ships since 1993 when the last one was decommissioned, the Times of Israel reported, which means the Israeli Navy has lacked the ability to mount large assaults from the sea. Instead, the Israeli military has had to attack enemy positions on land or launch very small amphibious attacks.

The new landing ships will enable the IDF, among other things, to launch surprise attacks on Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based Iranian terrorist proxy organization that regularly threatens Israel with annihilation.

INS Nahshon is 95 meters (about 310 feet) long, 20 meters (65 feet) wide, and weighs 2,500 tons.

The new landing ship represents Israel's increasing focus on its naval capabilities to defend itself against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, as well as Iranian military assets in Syria.

The ship will also serve to protect Israel’s new natural gas fields at sea.