7 oct. 1973 - Battle of Latakia

Description:

The Battle of Latakia (Arabic: معركة اللاذقية; Hebrew: קרב לטקיה) was a significant naval action during the Yom Kippur War, fought on October 7, 1973, between Israel and Syria. It was the first naval battle to involve combat between missile boats equipped with surface-to-surface missiles and electronic deception.

Background:
At the war's outset, the Israeli Navy aimed to destroy Syria's naval capabilities, which included Soviet-made Komar and Osa-class missile boats armed with P-15 Termit missiles, out-ranging the Israeli Gabriel missiles.

Battle:
The Israeli Navy launched a raid on the Syrian port of Latakia with five missile boats and two landing ships carrying helicopters equipped with electronic countermeasures. The Israeli boats, comprising Sa'ar 3 and Sa'ar 4 classes, engaged and sank several Syrian vessels, including a K-123 torpedo boat and a T43-class minesweeper, using Gabriel missiles and 76 mm gunfire.

When Syrian Komar and Osa missile boats fired Styx missiles, the Israelis used electronic countermeasures and chaff to decoy them. The Israeli ships then closed in and launched Gabriel missiles, sinking one Komar and the Osa, and damaging another Komar, which later ran aground and was destroyed.

The Syrian Navy remained confined to its ports for the remainder of the war. This battle marked the first naval engagement between missile boats, although the first instance of a missile boat sinking another ship with missiles occurred in 1967 when Egyptian boats sank the Israeli destroyer Eilat.

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