UN Ambassador to Israel Gilad Erdan in Jerusalem on Dec. 11, 2018 (Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
BEIRUT — Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan submitted Monday a complaint to the UN Security Council demanding to condemn the launch of the drones by Hezbollah towards the disputed Karish offshore gas field, adding that “the Lebanese government bears responsibility” for such actions, according to a tweet by the ambassador’s official Twitter account.
Here’s what we know:
• Hezbollah had launched three unarmed drones on July 2 in a reconnaissance mission, in which Hezbollah claimed "have achieved the required mission, and sent the right message." The following day, the Israeli Army said it intercepted the three drones.
• Erdan also said in his tweet that Hezbollah’s leader, Hasan Nasrallah “continues to provoke and test Israel,” threatening that Nasrallah “will be surprised again in the future, similar to [what happened] in the Second Lebanon War, by the power of [Israel’s] response.”
• Today marks the 16th anniversary of the devastating 2006 Lebanon-Israel war that lasted 34 days and took the lives of at least 1,109 Lebanese, the vast majority of which were civilians. Meanwhile, 43 Israeli civilians died and 117 Israeli soldiers were killed in the conflict.
• In a joint statement released on July 4, Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati had condemned the operation undertaken by Hezbollah to send the unarmed drones saying that "any act outside the responsibility of the government and the diplomatic path in which the [maritime border] negotiations is happening is not acceptable and and poses risks that are avoidable."
• On June 5, Israel deployed a floating production, storage and offloading vessel to the disputed Karish offshore gas field, causing tensions with the Lebanese side.