Israeli army reports intercepting 3 drones over Red Sea

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it had intercepted three drones over the Red Sea, stating they were launched from the east.

In a statement, the Israeli army said “three unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted in the Red Sea, launched from the east."

"We intercepted the drones before they entered Israeli territory, so no alarms were activated,” the army added.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that the drones were intercepted over Eilat, a southern city along the Red Sea coast.

In recent months, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have launched drones targeting several locations in Israel, including Eilat.

Following the incident, the group claimed responsibility through a statement, stating that it had targeted "four critical sites" in Eilat with drones.

Earlier on Saturday, a drone launched from Lebanon struck a factory in Israel's Western Galilee, evading interception attempts by Israeli helicopters and fighter jets for about 40 minutes.

No specific party in Lebanon, Yemen, or Iraq -- regions from which Israel has been targeted -- has claimed responsibility for the strike amid ongoing hostilities in Gaza.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,200 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

As the conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, nearly 2,900 people have been killed and more than 13,000 others injured in Israeli attacks since last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Israel expanded the conflict by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara