The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has confirmed that an Israeli Navy warship on patrol off the coast of Haifa successfully intercepted and shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near a vital gas field late last week.
A navy corvette equipped with the C-Dome system, the navalised version of the IDF's Iron Dome air defence missile system, conducted the interception of the UAV, which Israeli intelligence believes was launched by Iran-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah. The interception occurred near the Karish gas field in the northern reach of Israel's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), IDF officials said on Saturday, July 27.
The IDF stated that the UAV was intercepted before it could pose a threat to the gas field. However, it is not known whether the drone was armed or was simply conducting reconnaissance.
Israeli officials said Hezbollah has been regularly deploying one-way UAVs laden with explosives in cross-border attacks on Israel shortly after the start of the ongoing hostilities between the latter and Palestinian militant organisation Hamas. A number of these drones scored hits on targets within Israel, killing at least three people and injuring several others including civilians and military personnel.
