Several Israeli F-16 fighter jets were damaged last week as heavy rains flooded their hangars, the military acknowledged Sunday, following attempts to have the information censored.
The Israeli Military says heavy storms filled hangars at southern air force base before troops could get planes to safety. The repairs were expected to cost tens of millions of shekels.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, an undisclosed air force base in the Negev desert was hit hard by the storm as nearby streams flooded, sending huge volumes of rainwater toward the covered hangars where the fighter jets were stored.
Channel 12 news reported that several mechanics needed to be rescued from the flooded hangars as well, with waters reaching more than one and a half meters (4.5 feet) in depth.
The military said staff on the air force base pumped the rainwater out of the hangars over the weekend. A number of planes were damaged. They will be repaired and will return to flight in the coming days.
The rainfall caused extensive flooding in Nahariya, a coastal city of some 50,000 near the Lebanon border.
Tractors and military vehicles were used to help transport residents across the water-filled streets as they became trapped by rising waters.
Times of Israel / ABC Flash Point Weather News 2020.
