Israel has begun testing submarines capable of firing nuclear cruise missiles, with the intention of deterring a first-strike attack by Iran in the Middle East's accelerating arms race.
The Pentagon has confirmed Israeli press reports that three German-built Dolphin class submarines will be fully operational early next year. The first is undergoing trials in the North Sea.
Defence analysts say the submarines reflect the conviction in Israeli military circles that the development of an Islamic bomb is unstoppable, and that Israel must therefore develop a "second-strike capability" in case its land-based nuclear arsenal is wiped out in a surprise attack.
A recent Pentagon study reported that Israel had developed an air-launched cruise missile which should be operational by 2002. The Popeye Turbo, with a range of more than 200 miles, could be easily adapted for submarine launch and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, US military analysts say.
According to Jane's Fighting Ships the diesel-electric-powered Dolphin submarines can fire surface-to-surface missiles from their torpedo tubes. They were first ordered in 1988, but the programme was cancelled in 1990 for lack of funds and revived after the Gulf war when Germany agreed to fund the construction of two state-of-the-art submarines.
Mr Yossi Melman, an Israeli analyst writing in the Ha'aretz newspaper, attributed the decision to feelings of guilt at the role of German firms in supplying Iraq with materials for its non-conventional weapons programmes.
Jane's Intelligence Review claimed last year that 150 nuclear warheads and 50 Jericho-II intermediate-range missiles were stored at the Zachariah air force base, south-east of Tel Aviv. The Jericho has a range of 3,000 miles and can deliver a one-ton payload.
When Baghdad showed signs of catching up with Israel in 1981, the then prime minister, Menachem Begin, ordered a strike against Iraqi nuclear facilities. Israel now sees Iran as the main threat.