Iranian forces launched a drone attack against Israel this week, and forces in Lebanon launched a rocket attack against Israel earlier this week, top Israeli officials have revealed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Thursday morning following a meeting with a top German official that a drone loaded with explosives was fired at Israel and that the drone came from Iran.
“I described during our meeting that while we’re fighting on various fronts, the true backer of much of this aggression is Iran,” Netanyahu said. “Iran not only supports completely the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and gives them all the financing. They also give weapons to Hamas, as well as to Hezbollah. And they provide the scaffolding on which these organizations really work.”
“While we were engaged in these hostilities, a few days ago, Iran sent an armed drone to Israel from Iraq or from Syria, Iranian forces launched a drone, armed drone, which our forces intercepted on the border between Israel and Jordan,” Netanyahu continued. “And that I think says everything on the true patron of terror in the Middle East and in the world, Iran.”
WATCH:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met this afternoon, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, with German Foreign Minister @HeikoMaas and showed him an Iranian UAV that had been downed in the Beit Shean area. pic.twitter.com/gXWItAuQjv
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 20, 2021
The news comes as Democrat President Joe Biden has sought to reenter the highly controversial Iran nuclear deal and has eyed rolling back sanctions on Iran, which is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.
Yesterday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that a rocket attack was launched from Lebanon this week and that Israel responded with an artillery barrage.
“Following the previous report regarding the sirens which sounded in the Lower Galilee and Krayot area, four rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory,” the IDF said in a statement yesterday. “The Iron Dome Aerial Defense System intercepted one of them and the rest most likely fell in open areas. In response, IDF Artillery are striking a number of targets in Lebanese territory.”
The Times of Israel reported:
This was the third rocket attack on northern Israel from Lebanon amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and appeared to be the most significant. None of the attacks have caused injuries or damage.
Lebanese media reported that the rockets were fired from the village of Seddiqine, near the city of Tyre, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Israeli northern coast.
The IDF killed a Lebanese man late last week who was a part of the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
“Since the beginning of operation ‘Guardian of the Walls’, approximately 4070 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory, of which approximately 610 failed launches fell in the Gaza Strip,” IDF said in its most recent update. “The Iron Dome Air Defense System has an intercept rate of approximately 90%.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.
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