IDF Shoots Down Hezbollah Drone That Crossed From Lebanon; EU Foreign Ministers Vote to Resume High-Level Dialogue With Israel

The IDF on Monday night shot down a Hezbollah drone that had crossed over from Lebanon into Israeli territory, according to local reports.

The Israeli Air Force reportedly monitored the entirety of the incident after the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was first spotted by army units. 

The security alert comes just weeks after the IDF was forced to intercept three drones that were launched by Hezbollah toward the Karish gas rig. However, the UAVs were found to have been unarmed and were believed to have been a part of a propaganda exercise by the terrorist group.

The Karish gas field is at the heart of simmering tensions between Israel and Lebanon, which stem from a 2010 dispute over 330 square miles of the Mediterranean Sea that lie along the boundary between the two countries. Israel considers this area to be part of the northernmost boundary of its territorial waters while Lebanon considers it to be part of its southernmost boundary.

Meanwhile, Defense minister Benny Gantz recently issued a warning about Hezbollah working with the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist group in order to help the latter deepen its control over the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. “Even though we left Lebanon many years ago, it seems that it will not leave us,” he said.

European foreign ministers voted on Monday to renew high-level dialogue between Israel and the European Union following a decade-long pause.

The EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell announced that the EU-Israel Association Council would reconvene for the first time since its last meeting in 2012. 

The Council, which was formed in 1995 following an agreement in Brussels that set out EU-Israel relations, was abandoned by Jerusalem in 2013 after the political bloc decided to distinguish Israeli communities in the West Bank from the rest of Israel in the drafting of agreements. 

Prime Minister Yair Lapid hailed the decision as “proof of Israel’s diplomatic strength and this government’s ability to create new opportunities with the international community.”

Borell stated that the move was a result of a “deteriorating [situation] in the Palestinian Territories,” adding that EU ministers “agreed that this association council would be a good occasion to engage with Israel about these issues.”

“The position of the European Union has not changed with respect to the Middle East peace process,” Borell added, highlighting a 2016 council document that backs the two-state solution.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid has approved plans to revive a summit on the Israeli-Palestinian economy more than 10 years after its last meeting, according to local news.

The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) was last held in 2009 but was placed on hold due to the shifting of certain responsibilities among government ministries. 

Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej has been tasked by Lapid with promoting the initiative, with the former revealing that he will sit down with Palestinian Economy Minister Khaled Al-Assili “in the coming days” to agree on a date for another summit within the next two months. Frej said the summit could provide a boost to the Palestinian economy.

Frej’s office stated that Lapid has been the driving force behind restarting the meetings since he became prime minister, while former premier Naftali Bennett had decided against doing so. 

The leader of the Israeli delegation at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham said he was “speechless” at Israel’s performance, which has seen the country finish 11th overall in the gold medal count with seven, ahead of the likes of Spain and Great Britain.

Arik Kaplan, who is in charge of the World Games delegation and is the CEO of Ayelet, the Federation of Non-Olympic Competitive Sport in Israel, praised the Israeli team, adding that “in my best dreams, I never dreamed we would be in the first 15 countries.”

Israel additionally received three silver medals and four bronzes, placing it 13th overall, which is the same number as China and Sweden.

Kaplan added that the results proved there were a variety of world championship-caliber athletes in Israel, adding that he hoped the latest results would prompt more funding from donors. “We represent Israel just like any other sport, but unfortunately, the support we get is less,” he said.