World News | Israeli Army Says Drone Comes Under Fire over Lebanese Skies

Jerusalem, Feb 3 (AP) An Israeli drone came under anti-aircraft fire Wednesday during a routine operation over the skies of Lebanon, the Israeli military said, but the aircraft was not hit and continued on its mission.

It was the latest sign of rising tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Israeli warplanes and drones violate Lebanon's airspace almost daily, sometimes to carry out airstrikes against Hezbollah-allied Iranian targets in neighboring Syria.

The frequency of low-flying warplanes over Beirut and other parts of Lebanon has intensified in the past weeks, making residents jittery. Hezbollah claimed earlier this week to have shot down an Israeli drone. Israel said the unmanned aerial vehicle crashed.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of violating the terms of a U.N. cease-fire and says its overflights are needed to keep an eye on the group.

Israeli officials say Hezbollah has amassed a stockpile over some 150,000 rockets and missiles capable of striking anywhere in the country. It also accuses the group of trying to develop and produce sophisticated precision-guided missiles.

In a major policy address last week, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, Israel's military commander, accused Hezbollah of storing its missiles in populated areas of Lebanon and said these areas will not be spared if war erupts.

He said residents would be given time to flee ahead of time, but “because these areas are flooded with rockets and missiles, they will be flooded with attacks by the Israeli army.” (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)