Mediterranean coast

In January 1966, a US Air Force B-52 bomber carrying hydrogen bombs collided mid-air with a KC-135 tanker during refuelling off the coast of Spain, scattering nuclear weapons near Palomares. One bomb fell into the Mediterranean and took 80 days to recover, in one of the most complex search operations of the Cold War. Renewed attention to the accident continues to highlight the risks of nuclear-armed airborne alert missions and the long aftermath of contamination in the area.

Algae levels have dropped along Israel's Mediterranean coast, but desalination plants remain only partially operational. Authorities had curtailed the plants after algal blooms threatened intake systems, raising concerns about the country's water supply, which relies heavily on desalination. Reports indicate conditions are improving, though full capacity has not yet been restored.