Israel strikes its own spy system in Lebanon

Israeli spying system discovered by the Lebanese military in 2011. (Photo:  AP/Lebanese Army)

Amidst weeks of observing lo- hanging drones over Lebanon, today Lebanese state media reported that Israel fired missiles into Southern Lebanon last week, destroying an Israeli spying device after Hezbollah discovered it. The blast occurred between al-Zrariyeh and Tair Filsay, near the Litani River. Following the attack Hezbollah confirmed the air strike. From Al-Akhbar English:

A brief Hezbollah statement confirmed an explosion hit one of its communication lines in south Lebanon, but said it was not an airstrike, nor did they state if an Israeli tapping device was its target.

‘The enemy planted this explosive device which was exploded remotely on the communication line that belongs to Hezbollah,’ the statement said.

Since 1967 Israel has occupied territory in Southern Lebanon annexed during the Six Days War. Additional territory was taken after 2006 to create a United Nations (UN) buffer zone, which Israel also does not recognize as Lebanese territory. Despite Israel’s separate understanding of where Lebanon ends and Israel begins, last week’s air strike was unequivocally inside of sovereign Lebanon. And last year Israel also fired missiles into Southern Lebanon, again to decimate wireless tapping devices after Hezbollah had discovered them.

Meanwhile, Lebanese sources are also reporting that since last week Israeli fighter jets have violated Lebanese air space with aviation drills; 10 planes were spotted on Friday circling over cities in the Southern Lebanon. The fighter jets are in breach of UN Resolution 1701, the 2006 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. Haaretz reports that from 2006 to 2009 Israel violated Lebanese sovereignty 7,000 times.