Hamas announced Wednesday it captured a dolphin it claims was spying for Israel.
Underwater “frogmen” commandos operating just off the coast of the Gaza Strip caught the dolphin, which Hamas Officials say was equipped with “spying equipment” including cameras, The Times of Israel reported, citing reports from Army Radio.
The dolphin was captured several weeks ago.
The Israeli Navy maintains a fleet of Dolphin class submarines, but the Army Radio report made clear that Hamas was indeed talking about a mammal, not the boat.
This is not the first time Israel has been accused of utilizing animals for spying. Turkish media have highlighted allegations that birds tagged with Israeli university tracking devices were on espionage missions.
In 2012, an eagle with an Israel tag in Sudan was captured and touted as a Mossad spy, and in 2010, an Egyptian official alleged Israel could have trained sharks to attack tourists in the Red Sea.
The latest report is the first allegation of spying dolphins. Scientists believe dolphins are among the most intelligent animals on the planet.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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