EILAT, Israel — In this five-star studded resort town, where pleasure craft ply crystalline waters beyond sandy Red Sea shores, less than three minutes can make the difference between a dream vacation and a terror-fueled nightmare.

"Our response must be very rapid. We're talking mere minutes once threats breach our sovereign waters," says Lt. Eldad Nissim of the Snapir (Fin) Unit, Israel's maritime sentries for homeland security.

Part of the Israel Navy's 915 Routine Security Squadron, Nissim and his coed four-person crew are trained to monitor and respond to surface and underwater threats in the Gulf of Eilat.

But with only three nautical miles separating Israeli sunbathers from the Jordanian shores of Aqaba and less than six nautical miles to the Israeli-Egyptian border at Taba, this condensed theater of operation is as much a curse as a blessing, Nissim said.

"Obviously, we benefit from very good coordination with our peace partners in Jordan and Egypt. And look around, it's beautiful here, no?" said the 26-year-old commander.

"But with all the instability in our region, complacency is not an option. … We need to be mindful of every personal watercraft, commercial vessel or jet ski in our sector."

The Israel Navy operates three Snapir units, one here in Eilat and at the other two at Israel's Mediterranean ports of Ashdod and Haifa, with the mission of port protection, border patrol, underwater special tasks and ship inspections.

Usually deployed in a four- or five-person crew, they operate from 27-foot and 31-foot rigid-hulled, inflatable boats by Bremerton, Washington-based Safe Boats International, known here as Tzir'a, or Hornet.

Each boat is minimally equipped with a 7.62mm gun, radar, camera, radio communication and several onboard M-16s, but they are supported by multiple, overlapping sensors, larger surface ships and unmanned surface vessels operated by the Israel Navy.

In a recent drill, Defense News observed Nissim's unit responding to a shoulder-fired missile that struck their Safe Boat and a technical malfunction forcing the crew to perform on-board maintenance.

Other scenarios include Grad-type rocket attacks, smuggling attempts and explosive-rigged ships anchored south of the Israel Navy base here.

Certified to dive to depths of 90 meters, Snapir frogmen are called in to inspect most commercial and military vessels visiting here from friendly countries, including the USS Kearsarge assault ship, which docked here last May.

"Each time a US ship comes, we're working 24/7 — from the moment she comes to the moment she goes — to protect it," Nissim said.

In another drill aimed at perfecting maneuverability at some 37 knots while firing on terrorist targets, Cpl. Or Ginat, a young female conscript demonstrated she could outgun male comrades.

"It's a weighty responsibility that we can never take lightly," said the gunner and certified frogwoman.

Email: bopallrome@defensenews.com

Twitter: @OpallRome

About Barbara Opall-Rome

Opall-Rome is Israel bureau chief for Defense News. She has been covering U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation, Mideast security and missile defense since May 1988. She lives north of Tel Aviv. Visit her website at www.opall-rome.com.

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