The Israel Navy will be in charge of protecting Israeli offshore drilling rigs. The IDF General Staff decided several months ago that the flotilla in charge of the navy's missile boats will be responsible for naval patrols between the natural gas fields Tamar, Leviathan and Yam Tethys, including any drilling rigs that might be erected in the future. Navy officers confirmed that the mission will amount to thousands of hours of missile boats' operational hours each year. They also said the navy won't be the only force protecting the rigs, which are drilling for oil and natural gas, since the Israel Air Force will have aircraft on alert in case of an attack.