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Israeli fighter jets damaged by flooding after record rainfall

Eight F-16s stored in underground hangars at the Hatzor air base in southern Israel suffered millions of dollars’ worth of damage.

An Israeli army pilot sits in a cockpit of an F-16 aircraft. Photo by Flash90.
An Israeli army pilot sits in a cockpit of an F-16 aircraft. Photo by Flash90.

Eight Israeli F-16 fighter jets were damaged by flooding at Hatzor air force base in the country’s south following last week’s extreme rainfall, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

After attempting to censor the news for several days, the military acknowledged the damage on Sunday evening, saying that while the jets are expected to return to duty by next week, the repairs will cost millions of dollars.

No soldiers were injured in the flooding, according to the army.

In addition to the damaged planes, record rainfalls of late left seven dead across the country and caused major damage to homes, vehicles and infrastructure.

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