One of the aircraft was shot down by an F-16 fighter jet and the other two by Barak 8 missiles fired from the Saar 5 Class Corvette INS Eilat. According to defense officials, all three were intercepted “at a safe distance” from the drilling platform. Military spokesman Ran Kochav told Kan public radio on Sunday morning that the terrorist group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, “thought they would catch [Israel] careless.” “But we are ready, in terms of our early warning systems, and in terms of intelligence, the Navy and the Air Force, to protect Israel’s assets,” Kotsav said. He said Hezbollah “suffered a significant operational setback” in its failed attempt to convey a message to Israel. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Kohav added that Israel’s sovereignty was not violated in the incident, indicating that the UAVs were shot down over Lebanon’s UN-recognized territorial waters. Tensions have risen in Karish in recent weeks after a gas production ship arrived in Israel to begin drilling operations at the offshore field. This drew condemnation from Lebanon, which had claimed parts of the stadium. Israel says Karish is in its UN-recognized exclusive economic zone. Nasrallah recently threatened Israel over its plans to extract natural gas from the disputed offshore reserve, saying his organization is capable of preventing such actions, even by force. However, both the Israeli military and Hezbollah said the drones launched on Saturday afternoon were not armed and were being used for surveillance purposes and to demonstrate that the terrorist group has the ability to approach the rig. Hezbollah said the mission was completed successfully and “a message was delivered.” An Iron Dome maritime air defense system is seen on a Navy ship, guarding Energean’s floating production, storage and offloading vessel at the Karish gas field, in footage released by the military on July 2, 2022. (Israel Defense) Lebanon and Israel – which do not have diplomatic relations and consider each other hostile states – have been holding indirect US-brokered talks for nearly two years to resolve a maritime border dispute. But talks over the field have been frozen since last year, after Lebanon tried to move its claim further into the zone that Israel claims as its own. Last month, the Biden administration said recent meetings between its energy envoy and Israeli and Lebanese officials had led to progress. Israel and Lebanon each claim about 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea within their exclusive economic zones. Both countries have economic interests in the territory, which contains lucrative natural gas. Lebanon, which has been facing an economic crisis since late 2019, sees resources as a potential lifeline. Last month, the IDF conducted a major military exercise in Cyprus, simulating a ground assault deep into Lebanon in a possible war against Iran-backed Hezbollah. The terrorist group has long been a major adversary for the IDF, with an estimated arsenal of nearly 150,000 rockets and missiles capable of reaching anywhere in Israel. It’s not (only) for you. Supporting The Times of Israel is not a transaction for an online service, such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions around the world, for free. Sure, we’ll remove all ads from your page and you’ll get access to some awesome content just for the Community. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of participating in something that really matters. Join the Times of Israel Community Join our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with the must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
