Israel launches spy satellite to provide surveillance for military intelligence

On Monday, Israel launched a new spy satellite that it said would provide high-quality surveillance for its military intelligence. The country has been building up its surveillance capabilities to monitor enemies such as Iran.

The Ofek 16 satellite was shot into space early morning from a site in central Israel by a locally-developed Shavit rocket, which was used to launch previous Ofek satellites, Reuters reports.

“We will continue to strengthen and maintain Israel’s capabilities on every front, in every place,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said.

The military described Ofek 16 as “an electro-optical reconnaissance satellite with advanced capabilities.”