The Israeli military said it intercepted three drones launched by the Lebanese group Hezbollah, backed by Iran, headed for an offshore gas field in the Mediterranean. There was no immediate response from Lebanon to the Israeli accusation, which came amid tensions between countries over the location of the Karish platform and efforts to agree on a maritime border.
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“Three hostile drones approaching airspace in Israel’s economic waters have been intercepted,” the military said in a statement, adding that the drones were headed for the Karish gas field. An Israeli security source said the drones were unarmed, although this has not been confirmed. Defense Minister Benny Gantz accused Hezbollah of being behind the launch, saying in a statement that it was “preventing the state of Lebanon from reaching an agreement on maritime borders, which are critical to the economy and prosperity of the Lebanese nation.” It is the first time that an air defense system mounted on an Israeli ship has shot down an oncoming target, the army said.
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“An Israeli Air Force fighter and an Israeli Navy missile ship intercepted 3 UAVs (unmanned aircraft, ndr) hostiles from Lebanon who today approached the airspace above Israel’s economic waters “, reads the Israeli defense communiqué. According to an initial investigation, the note continues, the drones” did not represent an imminent threat “;” they were intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea “on their way to the Karish offshore field.