As Prime Minister Ariel Sharon prepared to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush, Lebanon’s Hizbullah terror
organization reported Monday it successfully flew a spy drone over northern Israel.
The report stated “A Merased drone plane of the Islamic Resistance flew over Israeli 'settlements' and returned to base safely.”
IDF officials confirmed the report.
Mofaz: Hizbullah trying to ignite West Bank
Hizbullah members said the drone took photographs of 18 settlements in northern Israel, including the coastal cities of Nahariya and Akko.
There were no reports if the drone photographed IDF bases or other security positions.
Earlier Monday, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that Hizbullah is trying to “ignite” Palestinians in the West Bank and re-kindle hostilities on Israel’s northern front.
Second incident
Monday’s incident was the second Hizbullah infiltration in less than six months. During a similar occurrence in November, a drone exploded before returning to base.
At the time, Hizbullah spokesmen said the raid was in retaliation for “enemy violations” of Lebanese airspace.
Monday, a group spokesmen repeated the theme, saying the Merased (Arabic for “spying” or “stakeout”) would be used “each time enemy aircrafts violate Lebanese sovereignty.”
In November, IDF officials pledged to investigate the incident, and said the penetration was a “stinging failure” for the Israel Air Force.
Following the November incident Hizbullah leader Shiekh Hassan Nasrallah
said his organization has developed it’s own drones, and warned the planes are capable of carrying explosives weighing dozens of kilograms.
“If it’s alright for Israel to use its planes to gather intelligence, we can too,” Nasrallah said.
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