The Altalena, a cargo ship carrying weapons and volunteers for the Irgun paramilitary organization, has been discovered on the Mediterranean seafloor near Tel Aviv. The vessel was famously sunk by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in June 1948 on the orders of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. The incident, which occurred during the early stages of the Israeli War of Independence, remains a significant historical flashpoint representing the internal power struggle between the newly formed state military and the independent Irgun militia.

According to reports, the wreck remains largely intact despite the passage of nearly eight decades. The sinking of the ship resulted in the deaths of 16 Irgun members and three IDF soldiers, and it served as a definitive moment in establishing the authority of the Israeli government over various armed factions. While the discovery provides a tangible link to this pivotal chapter in Israeli history, the site is expected to be treated as a historical landmark. The identification of the ship concludes a long-standing mystery regarding the exact location of the vessel, which had been lost to the currents and shifting sands of the Mediterranean since the 1948 confrontation.