The Israeli Navy’s fleet of missile boats carried out “extensive” exercises over the past week, the IDF said on Friday, as the military prepares for potential war in the north while Israel warns that its patience for a diplomatic solution is running out.
Israel and Hezbollah also continued to exchange cross-border fire on Friday, as the Iran-backed terror group claimed to target a regional council building while the IDF said it intercepted a “suspicious” drone that crossed into its airspace.
The IDF said the Navy drills simulated fighting in the northern maritime theater, and some exercises were carried out alongside the Israeli Air Force, including the 193rd Squadron which operates the AS565 Panther helicopters, primarily used for missions at sea.
Among the scenarios that were drilled included foiling drone attacks, aerial rescue operations from vessels, and refueling the missile boats at sea, the IDF said.
The drill comes amid daily attacks by the Hezbollah terror group on northern Israel amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned Friday that Israel “will not be patient much longer for a diplomatic solution in the north.” Katz shared a clip on social media from a Channel 12 report Thursday evening which said Israel sent an official warning to the UN Security Council that Iran is continuing to send arms to Hezbollah in breach of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon.
“If the dramatic intelligence information we revealed before the Security Council doesn’t lead to a change, we will not hesitate to act,” tweeted Katz, after the report claimed Israel’s letter to the UNSC details the types of weaponry Iran is supplying Hezbollah as well as via which routes and on what dates.
Rockets sirens also sounded in Kiryat Shmona due to fears of falling shrapnel following the interception.
Hezbollah said that the attack was a response to recent Israeli strikes on “southern villages and civilian homes” including a strike on Thursday on what it said was a civil defense center in Blida.
The IDF said the strike on Blida targeted a building where Hezbollah operatives were gathered.
Hezbollah on Friday announced the deaths of three members killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its term for operatives slain in Israeli strikes.
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