Israel Intercepts Drone Launched From Lebanon

The Israeli military intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle that crossed into Israel’s airspace from southern Lebanon on Monday. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that its air defense unit monitored the drone throughout the incident and that it was most likely launched by the armed Shiite group Hizbullah. Three unarmed UAVs flying toward the Karish gas field off Israel’s Mediterranean coast were downed by the IDF on July 2. Hizbullah said it had launched the drones on a reconnaissance mission. Hizbullah head Hassan Nasrallah has said his group would take military action to prevent Israel from extracting gas in offshore areas that are also claimed by Lebanon.