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‘Killer Zionist dolphins’ claim gets attention in Israel

Hamas released a video claiming its ‘frogman unit’ had nabbed the aquatic assassin

Palestinian militant group Hamas has claimed to have apprehended a Mossad-trained ‘killer dolphin’ spy wearing specialized combat gear that allegedly attacked one of its naval combat units off the Gaza coast.

A video posted by the armed outfit to announce the apparent capture was widely shared on social media on Tuesday. During the 25-second clip, a spokesperson from the Al-Qassam brigades, identified as Abu Hamza, said its ‘frogman unit’ had discovered and trapped the aquatic assassin during an operation.

A number of media outlets have cited a report by Al-Quds newspaper, which apparently noted that the dolphin was armed with a “device” capable of killing Hamas operatives it allegedly chased into the sea. The video included footage of a conical, harness-like contraption, supposedly taken from the captured spy.

Tweeting about the “killer Zionist dolphins,” Joe Truzman, an analyst at the US-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies lobby group, noted that Abu Hamza revealed the animal had been found by a member of the frogman unit “who was killed by Israel during the May conflict.”

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On Wednesday, Israel’s official Twitter account managed by its Foreign Ministry’s ‘Digital Diplomacy Team’ appeared to poke fun at the reports by posting a series of dolphin emojis, though there was no clarification that the post was in response to the allegations.

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While several social media users appeared to dismiss Hamas’ claims, some – like US Naval Institute news analyst H.I. Sutton – suggested that the report had “some credibility” in that it is “plausible that Israel may have a Navy marine mammal program.”

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In a blog post, Sutton said the harness “appears to fit the nose of a dolphin” and is “similar” to those used by such programs in other countries. He added that it appeared to have a “spear gun-like device attached” that could either be a way to “mark the target” or a “straightforward weapon.”

However, he cautioned that there was “no evidence that confirms that the harness is Israeli, or even off a dolphin.”

This is not the first time Hamas has alleged Israel’s use of trained dolphins. In August 2015, the BBC cited an Al-Quds report that claimed another captured dolphin had been “stripped of its will” and turned into “a murderer” by Israeli forces.

https://ift.tt/3HWkl2E 13, 2022 at 12:02AM
from RT – Daily news

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