A non-commissioned officer in the Navy was seriously hurt Sunday in an explosion during maintenance work on a vessel docked in Haifa's port.

The man, 24, sustained injuries to the head from a blast that occurred near the ship's cooling system and was rushed to Rambam Medical Center to receive treatment. His family has been notified of the incident.

Israel Navy suffered another blow Thursday when its chief Major General David Ben Ba'ashat submitted a letter of resignation to IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

	Advertisement

Ben Ba'ashat was implicated in failures that allowed a missile attack by Hezbollah on the "Hanit" navy vessel off Beirut during the Second Lebanon War in which four seamen were killed.