By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army claimed on Saturday that its naval forces intercepted a drone launched from the east over the Mediterranean Sea before it could enter Israeli airspace.
In a statement, the army said: “A navy missile ship recently intercepted a drone over the Mediterranean Sea that was en route to Israeli territory from the east.”
The statement added that no alarms were activated, as the incident occurred outside Israeli airspace.
This was the second interception of a drone from the east in the past several hours.
Earlier on Saturday, the army said: “The Air Force intercepted a suspicious aerial target (a drone) en route from the east toward Israeli territory,” clarifying that the interception took place before the target entered Israeli territory.
While the army did not specify the source of the drones, it frequently uses “the east” to refer to Iraq.
In recent months, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for launching drone attacks on Israel, including strikes targeting Eilat.
On Nov. 18, Israeli authorities reported 65 drone attacks originating from Iraq since the beginning of the month, with an increase in such incidents over the past three months.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has stated that its attacks are carried out in support of Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year, killing over 44,300 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 105,000.
The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.
On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.
• Writing by Ikram Kouachi