Published: 09:49, June 11, 2024
Israel establishes new Iron Dome battalion amid rising drone attacks from Lebanon
By Xinhua
Smoke rises from the woods which caught fire following rockets launched from Lebanon into northern Israel, close to the city of Kiryat Shmona near the southern Lebanon border, on June 4, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

JERUSALEM - The Israeli military said Monday it has established a new battalion solely focused on operating the country's Iron Dome aerial defense system to better intercept the growing number of drones from Lebanon.

ALSO READ: Hezbollah says ready for 'comprehensive war' with Israel

"The establishment of the battalion will enable the expansion of the Iron Dome batteries' deployment and improve Israel's aerial defense," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Israel's military has been facing an increasing number of drone attacks from Lebanon, which occasionally evade Israeli radar systems due to their small size and proximity to the border

The Aerial Defense Array is "on high alert around the clock and fully deployed across Israel to counter complex and diverse aerial threats on multiple fronts, including rockets, surface-to-surface missiles, and cruise missiles," the military said.

READ MORE: Israeli general announces army deployment for offensive against Hezbollah completed

Israel's military has been facing an increasing number of drone attacks from Lebanon, which occasionally evade Israeli radar systems due to their small size and proximity to the border.

Earlier on Monday, four drones launched from Lebanon fell within the territory under Israeli control. Two crashed in western Galilee and two in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Map of the border area between Lebanon and Israel. (GRAPHIC / AFP) 

The military said interceptor missiles were launched toward the drones but failed to shoot them down. Israel's National Fire and Rescue Authority said fires caused by the drones broke out in several locations.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah towards Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before.

READ MORE: 4 killed, 5 injured in Israeli airstrikes in S. Lebanon

Since the beginning of the Gaza conflict, the Israeli military has intercepted 150 aircraft fired toward Israel from multiple fronts, according to army figures.