By Romana Rubeo 
The unidentified aircraft was reportedly detected by the radar system of an Israeli Navy missile boat patrolling off the Caesarea coast.
The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported on Sunday that the Lebanese group Hezbollah may have used a drone to capture footage of the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv.
“Officials initially suspected it could be a Hezbollah-launched reconnaissance drone, possibly attempting to capture footage of Netanyahu’s seaside residence for future release,” the report stated.
The unidentified aircraft was reportedly detected by the radar system of an Israeli Navy missile boat patrolling off the Caesarea coast. Since “other monitoring equipment failed to corroborate its presence,” according to Israel Hayom, “the Israeli Air Force scrambled fighter jets to the area”.
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According to the newspaper, the Israeli army later suggested that the drone detection was likely a false alarm but did not entirely dismiss the possibility that Hezbollah had launched a small drone to capture images of the house.
“Despite the lack of visual confirmation, military and air force officials have not entirely dismissed the possibility of a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched from Lebanon,” the report stated.
Hoopoe Mission
Last June, Hezbollah’s military media released a video showing reconnaissance drones flying over Israel, including Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Safad, Karmiel, Afula, all the way to Haifa and its port.
According to the Lebanese news network Al-Mayadeen, the “nine-minute-and-a-half video captured footage and exposed sensitive Israeli sites.”
“Hezbollah highlighted that its drones bypassed Israeli air defenses and returned to Lebanese airspace without being detected,” Al-Mayadeen added.
A few days later, another video was also released, showing footage of vital Israeli targets only known to the occupation’s security apparatus.
At the time, the Lebanese news network Al-Mayadeen noted that “the information reveals that there are numerous targets at sea, including platforms, supply lines, and ships with multiple functions, with each energy field at sea containing a significant number of high-priority targets.”
Heightened Tensions
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, on October 7, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has engaged directly, but relatively in a limited way in the war against the Israeli occupation.
According to Hezbollah sources, the movement has carried out 1,194 military operations in the first 250 days of war, killing and wounding over 2,000 Israeli soldiers.
Israel has occupied parts of Lebanon for decades and has only left the country in 2000, following stiff Lebanese resistance under Hezbollah’s leadership.
It attempted to re-occupy Lebanon in 2006 but failed in what Lebanon considers a major victory against Israel.
Israel, however, continues to occupy parts of Lebanon, namely the Sheeba Farms region.
Hezbollah has vowed to recover every inch of Lebanon that has been occupied by Israel contrary to international law.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.
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