The Lebanese group Hezbollah’s drone is suspected to have infiltrated northern Israel to film Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea, located 37 km south of Haifa on the Mediterranean coast.
According to a report by Israel Hayom on Sunday, August 18, a missile ship of the Israeli Navy reported a suspected drone hovering on Caesarea’s coast on Friday, August 16.
The drone was detected by the missile ship’s radar but was not picked up by other control systems, and fighter jets were unable to locate it.
However, the Israeli military argues that radar systems may be a “false alarm,” as they sometimes issue warnings for flocks of birds or other objects, which were previously considered accurate.
“Despite the lack of visual confirmation, military and air force officials have not entirely dismissed the possibility of a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched from Lebanon,” the report stated.
Netanyahu’s office dismissed the report as a “false alarm” and clarified that the Prime Minister was not present at his Caesarea residence at the time.
Taking to X on Sunday, August 18, Netanyahu’s office wrote, “PM Netanyahu, at the start of the Government meeting: Israel is prepared for any threat – defensively and offensively. We are determined to defend ourselves and exact a very high price from any enemy who dares to attack us – from any arena whatsoever.”
This comes amid the ongoing Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 40,100 people since October 7, 2023.
Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.
Source: With inputs from IANS