Israel launches new spy satellite and saying that this is a message to its enemies
Israel launched a new spy satellite on Wednesday, in what Defense Minister Israel Katz described as a message to its enemies that they are under constant surveillance.
“Yesterday’s launch of the Ofek 19 satellite is an achievement of the highest international standard… Only a few countries possess such capabilities,” Katz said on X.
“This is also a message to all our enemies, wherever they are – we are watching you at all times and in every situation,” he added.
The Israeli Defense Ministry said the satellite was launched from an undisclosed location on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. (19:30 GMT), began transmitting, and underwent a series of initial tests.
The statement added that once it becomes operational and ready for service, its command will be transferred to the Army’s Visual and Geospatial Intelligence Unit.
The launch of the spy satellite came two months after Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran, targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites and residential areas more than 1,000 kilometers away.
Daniel Gold, head of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Research and Development Directorate, said that more than 12,000 satellite images of Iranian territory were collected for targeting strikes.
Boaz Levy, CEO of the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, which worked on the project alongside the Defense Ministry, said the operation “confirmed that having advanced surveillance capabilities in our region is critical to achieving air and ground superiority”.
Israel joined the club of space powers in 1988 with the launch of Ofek, its first satellite, which means horizon in Hebrew.
