Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted three Hezbollah drones heading towards an Israeli offshore gas field on Saturday, with Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz later confirming the drones were Iranian-made.
The Lebanese Hezbollah terror group confirmed it had launched the drones, after Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah threatened to stop Israeli gas extraction from the Karish gas field last month.
The incident adds to growing tensions between Israel and Lebanon over the location of the gas rig and the long-term efforts to agree to a maritime border, though negotiations being mediated by the United States have repeatedly stalled.
Defence Minister Gantz asserted that Hezbollah is “preventing the state of Lebanon from reaching an agreement regarding maritime borders” which is “critical to the economy and prosperity of the Lebanese nation”. Israel says the Karish gas field is in part of its UN-recognised exclusive economic zone.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said: “These UAVs were sent by Hezbollah, a terrorist organisation that threatens Lebanon’s stability, violates its sovereignty, pushes it towards a dangerous escalation with Israel, and harms the national interests of Lebanon”. “Israel will not sit back and do nothing, given these repeated attacks”, he added.
