Hezbollah drone over Israel leaves air force red-faced
AFP: 11/8/2004
JERUSALEM, Nov 8 (AFP) - The flight over Israel of an unmanned Hezbollah spy plane has deeply embarrassed the Jewish state's air force, which has prided itself for decades on having total control of the region's skies.
"Breach in aerial security. Air force embarrassed. Hezbollah sees all," read Monday's front-page headline in Israel's top-selling daily Yediot Aharonot.
"And what if next time the drone carries a bomb?" asked the daily Maariv.
The Lebanese guerrilla group announced on Sunday that it had sent the drone over "northern Palestine" (Israel) in retaliation for repeated violations of Lebanese airspace by Israel, deemed "Zionist attacks on Lebanese sovereignty".
Hezbollah also warned that it could carry out more such flights.
After several hours of complete silence from the Israeli military about the incident, the army finally confirmed the overflight of its territory.
"This morning, an Iranian UAV (unmanned air vehicle) operated by the Hezbollah terror organization infiltrated into Israel over the western Galilee," a military spokesman said in a statement.
The army said the spy plane, launched from southern Lebanon, flew along Israel's northern Mediterranean coast until it reached the coastal resort of Nahariyah.
Hezbollah said the flight lasted 20 minutes, a claim corroborated by the UN peacekeeping force in the region, UNIFIL.
The drone later crashed in south Lebanon, Israeli military sources told AFP.
"We must know immediately how it's possible for such a rudimentary device to pass through the Israeli army's heavy air defenses, in which billions have been invested," said opposition Labor parliamentary deputy Eitan Cabel.
Cabel asked the leader of the Knesset's foreign affairs and defense committee to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the spy plane infiltration.
On Monday, Lebanese ministers argued that the overflight was a result of the Jewish state constantly violating Lebanese airspace and ignoring international protests.
"The resistance (Hezbollah's armed branch) turned to this method because international protests have not succeeded in putting an end to Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace," Information Minister Elie Ferzli said.
The surprise operation was also an embarrassment for UNIFIL, whose job is to monitor a ceasefire in the region.
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