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On October 7, Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on land, in the air and in the sea. In addition to air missiles, the militant Palestinian forces also used new underwater drones nicknamed ‘Al-Asef’.
Until now, not much was known about these drones. Hamas made the torpedoes a closely guarded secret – until now. After the attacks, the organization released a propaganda video that also presented the drone.
The ‘Al-Asef’ does not appear to be a hypermodern underwater drone. Rather, it appears to be a simple unmanned underwater vehicle consisting of several components.
Control via camera or GPS
The underwater torpedo is largely made of metal. Because the Gaza Strip is more or less completely closed off and materials for making weapons only reach the area via smuggling routes, the terrorists could have used old gas cylinders for the construction, US naval expert HI Sutton suspects in his blog.
The drone is powered by a small propeller, which could possibly come from an old underwater vehicle. The torpedo is controlled by a small camera, similar to a Go-Pro. “The propulsion and controls suggest that the drone cannot dive particularly deep. “It’s probably moving quite close to the surface,” expert Sutton estimates.
However, recordings show that there are also autonomous models of ‘Al-Asef’. Thanks to a rudimentary GPS system, they independently find their target and automatically detonate the explosive charge.
Hamas launched attacks already in 2021
However, the explosive payload of the Hamas drone is not particularly large. There are said to be approximately 50 kilograms of explosives in the head. That’s enough for destroying smaller targets, but not for really big explosions. The Israeli army, which is fighting Hamas, also has significantly more powerful underwater torpedoes.
In the propaganda video, several fighters can be seen carrying the drone into the water. The weapons are stored in a secret location and only brought to shore when necessary.
The fact that Hamas has underwater torpedoes is not new. As early as 2021, the Israeli military announced that Hamas had attempted to attack IDF naval installations via water. However, images of the ‘Al-Asef’ drones do not yet exist.
It is not known whether Hamas also has more powerful underwater weapons.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
