Israeli Boats Breach Lebanon Sovereignty 3 Times Friday, Army Complains to UNIFIL

Israeli gunboats violated Lebanon's territorial waters three times on Friday, according to a Lebanese army statement.

“At 8:50 am, a military vessel belonging to the Israeli enemy breached Lebanon's territorial waters off Ras al-Naqoura by 300 meters before leaving at 9:00 am towards the territorial waters of occupied Palestine,” an army statement said.

“And at 10:07 am, a similar vessel violated Lebanon's territorial waters by 278 meters off Ras al-Naqoura before leaving at 10:12 am,” it added.

A third Israeli gunboat penetrated 260 meters into the Lebanese waters off the same area at 11:10 am, the army said.

The military announced that it is following up on the issue of the violations with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Lebanon regularly files U.N. complaints over Israel's near-daily land, air, and sea violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

Israel occupied much of southern Lebanon for 22 years between 1978 and 2000 and its invading army reached the capital Beirut in 1982. It fought a devastating 2006 war with Hizbullah in which more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Lebanon.

Y.R.