Sa'ar

Sa'ar (Hebrew: סַעַר, lit. Storm) is a kibbutz in the western Galilee in Israel. Located near Nahariya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 403.

History

The kibbutz was founded in 1948 by members of the Socialist-Zionist youth movement Hashomer Hatzair and Holocaust survivors.

The kibbutz was established in August 1948 on the land of the depopulated Palestinian village named Az-Zeeb, south of the village site.

In August 2006, many of the kibbutz residents fled in the wake of Hezbollah rocket fire of up to 60 rockets a day. Kibbutz member David Lelchook was killed by shrapnel from a missile that hit the front yard of his home.

Economy

Bermad Water Control Solutions, jointly owned with Kibbutz Evron, manufactures automatically activated hydraulic valves used in water, fuel and fire extinguishing systems.

Notable residents

The kibbutz gained recognition as the farming community in which the comedian Jerry Seinfeld worked as a volunteer at the age of 16.

Sa'ar 5-class corvette

Sa'ar 5 (Hebrew: סער 5‎) is a class of Israeli Navy corvettes, designed based on lessons learned from the Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats. Three Sa'ar 5 ships were built by Huntington Ingalls Industries (formerly Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation of Pascagoula, Mississippi) for the Israeli Navy, based on Israeli designs.

They are the largest surface warships in Israel's naval fleet. Although classified as "corvettes" due to their small size and crew of only 71, their weaponry and speed are almost comparable to that of a frigate. They are equipped with sonar, torpedoes, missile launchers, electronic warfare capabilities and decoys, a gun mount, and a helipad and helicopter hangar.

The first of class, INS Eilat, was launched in February 1993, followed by INS Lahav in August 1993 and INS Hanit in March 1994.

Combat history

During the 2006 Lebanon War, INS Hanit was attacked by a Hezbollah missile as it was enforcing a naval blockade off Beirut. The resulting explosion caused the landing pad to cave in and be engulfed in flames that threatened the aviation fuel storage below, and the flames were not fully extinguished until several hours later. Four sailors were killed and the ship suffered some damage, but she stayed afloat, got out of the line of fire, and returned unassisted to Ashdod for repairs. The ship was repaired and resumed its combat role three weeks later.