Lebanon: 480 Israeli violations of resolution 1701 in two months - report

The drones "passed over the Beirut Airport, endangering air traffic." One of the drones was carrying 4.5 kg of explosives.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 23:19

Flight path simulation by Lebanon Defense Minister of drone attack on Beirut in August (photo credit: AL-MAYADEEN YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT) — Flight path simulation by Lebanon Defense Minister of drone attack on Beirut in August

(photo credit: AL-MAYADEEN YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT)

There have been 480 Israeli violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in the past two months, with the most serious violation being the attack on a Beirut suburb by drones loaded with explosives, Lebanese Minister of National Defense Elias Bou Saab said on Thursday, at a news conference presenting the findings of an investigation into the drone attacks, according to the Lebanon National News Agency.

The drones “passed over the Beirut Airport and endangered air traffic, and then headed into the city’s southern suburbs,” according to Saab. Several Israeli aircraft were present in Lebanese airspace at the time of the attack to control the path of the two drones. One of the drones used in the attack was carrying 4.5 kg. of explosives. One of the aircraft involved in the attack was able to transmit information and photos.

The plan was to send several aircraft in conjunction with a UAV, he said, according to TV news agency Al Mayadeen.

The drone attacks prove “that the Israelis have adopted a change of rules of engagement with Lebanon,” according to Saab.

During the news conference, the defense minister presented a video showing the flight paths of the drones and the UAV, including the airport in Israel from which the aircraft departed and where they entered Lebanon from the coast.

The Lebanese army “has a clear decision to defend its land, and this is our right,” said Saab, adding that “Lebanon is currently in a state of self-defense, not the aggressor, and this is a legitimate right as per the government’s ministerial statement.”

Saab stated that the findings confirm “the repeated Israeli aggression against Lebanon and their gravity. The army has never initiated an attack, but will not fail to respond to any attack on Lebanon.”

In late August, two drones fell in Beirut. One crashed and the other exploded near Hezbollah’s media office. The attack happened just hours after the Israel Air Force took out a cell of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, led by two Hezbollah operatives planning an explosive drone attack against Israel.

Hezbollah spokesman Muhammad Afif said at the time that one Israeli drone exploded and caused significant damage to the group’s media office, wounding three people. The other drone crashed shortly afterward, causing no damage.

At the beginning of September, Hezbollah terrorists fired two anti-tank missiles towards an IDF vehicle in the northern Galilee, narrowly missing it.

Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.