The Israel Navy has been put in charge of protecting the offshore rigs and natural gas infrastructure located off the country's Mediterranean coast, Israeli government sources said Monday.
They said Israel Defense Forces general staff that the navy's fleet of missile boats will be responsible for the security of the fast-expanding natural gas infrastructure.
The sources said the navy plans to purchase two additional missile boats in order to meet the growing demands of protecting the offshore gas industry.
The sources added that the greatest concern is from missile attacks by Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi'ite organization which has close ties to Iran and is armed with medium-range missiles.
Palestinian organizations are also considered potential threats.
According to the sources, the rigs are viewed as fairly easy targets and therefore the need to step up security.
The sources added that exploration companies are responsible for security on the rigs, and they hire local private security firms, the sources said.
While the private security firms would be able to prevent the takeover of a rig, they may not have the capability to deal with a missile or terror attack directed at the site, the sources added.
Meanwhile, in addition to the navy, the Israel Air Force is also expanding its involvement in the infrastructure protection operations.
The rigs at the Yam Thetis, Leviathan and Tamar fields are located in Israel's economic waters, and in the coming years the number of planned drillings is expected to increase sharply as several groups are due to begin exploration activities.
