Israeli gunboat violates Lebanese territorial waters: Lebanese Army

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
18 Oct 2022 15:21

An Israeli gunboat violates the Lebanese territorial waters, off Ras Al-Naqoura, to a distance of approximately 222 meters for a period of 62 minutes.

Israeli occupation gunboat (Archive)

The Lebanese Armed Forces confirmed that an Israeli occupation gunboat violated the Lebanese territorial waters on Tuesday.

In an issued communiqué, the Lebanese Army Command - Orientation Directorate indicated that "on 17/10/2022 at 8:20 am, an Israeli enemy gunboat violated the Lebanese territorial waters, off Ras Al-Naqoura, to a distance of approximately 222 meters for a period of 62 minutes."

The communiqué mentioned that the Israeli breach is being followed-up in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

This is not the first time that the Israeli occupation has violated the Lebanese territorial waters.

Last February, the Lebanese Armed Forces said an Israeli boat breached the territorial waters and threw flare bombs opposite the Ras Al-Naqoura.

In addition, Israeli occupation warplanes almost daily violate Lebanese airspace, which violates International Resolution 1701 issued by the UN Security Council in August 2006.

It is noteworthy that Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants had strongly denounced the Israeli enemy's use of Lebanese airspace to bombard Syrian territory.

Lebanese President approves maritime deal with 'Israel'

The latest Israeli breach comes a few days after Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced that Lebanon agreed to adopt the final formula prepared by the US mediator Amos Hochstein to demarcate the southern maritime borders with the Israeli occupation.

In a televised speech, Aoun stressed that "this agreement responds to the Lebanese demands and preserves our rights in full," stressing that this achievement would not have been completed without the unified Lebanese stance.

"Lebanon did not pave the way to any kind of the rejected normalization," the Lebanese President said, hoping that the end of the negotiations would be "a promising beginning that lays the foundation for an economic revival that Lebanon needs through completing oil exploration."

The Lebanese President stressed that "Lebanon did not concede not even a kilometer to 'Israel', as we obtained the entire Qana field, and refused to recognize the Israeli buoys' line."

Aoun addressed the Lebanese people by saying, "Your resistance has proven to be an element of power for Lebanon, and you have contributed to fortifying the Lebanese position in negotiation as well as in confrontation."

On its part, the Israeli occupation cabinet last week approved the US-brokered maritime border agreement with Lebanon, with all its members voting in favor, except for Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked who abstained, Israeli media reported.