Israel: The Israeli military said it shot down unmanned aircraft headed for an area of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah where an Israeli gas platform was recently installed in the Mediterranean Sea. The drone dispatch is seen as an attempt by Hezbollah to sabotage US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime boundary.
Natural gas is found in large quantities in this oceanic range. Israel said in a statement that the plane was quickly traced. Israel’s caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid has given a stern warning about this incident. Addressing the nation for the first time since taking office, Lapid said, “At this moment I stand before you and say to everyone who is trying to destroy us from Gaza to Tehran, from the shores of Lebanon to Syria: Don’t test us.
“Israel knows how to use its might against every threat, every enemy,” he said. Israel installed a gas rig at the Karish gas field earlier this month. Israel says the gas field falls within its internationally recognized economic waters, but Lebanon claims it is in disputed waters.
Hezbollah issued a brief statement confirming that it had sent three unarmed drones to the disputed sea area in the Karish region on a reconnaissance mission. He said, “Mission accomplished and message received.
