Israeli forces may have fired at a civilian plane over the occupied West Bank after mistaking it for a drone, it is suspected. The incident occurred when troops were sent to monitor the area following reports from residents of the Beit El area who feared there could be drones flying overhead.
Details of the Incident
One of the troops opened fire before it later emerged that the flight path for planes arriving at Ben Gurion Airport was moved eastward, causing planes to fly low over the area. The Israel Defense Forces are also investigating the possibility that it was a police drone which prompted the concerns. There have been no injuries or damage reported.
Context of Escalation
It comes after Israel escalated its operations against the militant group Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon in recent days. In a video statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had directed 'an even greater intensification of our operations' against the group. He accused Hezbollah of escalating its use of drones in attacks, including systems he described as fibre optic-controlled.
'We will intensify our strikes, increase our firepower and crush them,' he said, adding that Israeli forces were working to develop countermeasures to neutralise the threat. The move follows months of fire along the Litani river, where both sides have reported strikes.
Hezbollah's Drone Warfare
The army has struggled to fend off attacks on troops in southern Lebanon and northern Israel by Hezbollah's drones. Many of the first-person view (FPV) drones are guided by fiber-optic cables, which are fully resistant to blocking frequencies and being used increasingly by the terror group.
New Combat Zone Declared
Israel's military on Wednesday declared a new swathe of southern Lebanon as a combat zone and said residents in the area should move north, warning it would act 'with great force' against Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the zone. The military's statement, posted on X, appeared to signal further escalation after more than 120 strikes on Tuesday hit Lebanon's south and east, despite a ceasefire announced on April 16.
'We advise residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Zahrani River, as all areas south of the river are considered a combat zone,' an Israeli military spokesperson posted on X. The Zahrani River runs east to west about 25 miles north of Israel's border with Lebanon, and the Lebanese territory south of it covers about 2,000 square kilometres.
