Hezbollah on Wednesday broadcasted filmed episodes taken by its Hudhud 3 drone that it said showed an Israeli airbase in the north, sending a new threat to Tel Aviv.
A spokesman for the Israeli military said in a statement on X that the video was filmed by a surveillance drone and the base’s operations were not affected.
The video of Israeli air base Ramat David was more than eight minutes long and, Hezbollah said, mostly shot on Tuesday. Ramat David is one of the most important air bases and the only in the North of Israel.
The party also said that the video coincides with the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, where he addressed the Congress, and that it may be the first time that the airspace of a key Israeli air base is violated.
“Hezbollah drone carried out its mission and returned to its bases safely, leaving the Israeli military circles perplexed,” the party’s media said.
Amidst the exchange of threats between Israel and Hezbollah, the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon indicated on Wednesday in a letter addressed to Canadians, permanent residents and their family members in Lebanon, that “the situation in Lebanon is volatile and unpredictable due to the recent and ongoing events in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.”
It pointed out that “Canadians, permanent residents, their wives and children must depart where commercial flights are available.”
Also on Wednesday, MP Wael Abu Faour shed light on the “massive losses” at the human, health, agricultural and environmental levels due to the Israeli attacks on south Lebanon, noting that these losses have been initially estimated at $2 billion by the concerned Lebanese institutions.
“This is a new challenge for the Lebanese state,” he said following a meeting between the Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs and European ambassadors to Lebanon.
Abu Faour then affirmed that the state cannot abandon its responsibility towards the citizens.
“We need a clear plan and an organized diplomatic and political effort to handle the results of the Israeli attacks as soon as possible,” he underlined.
Ever since the start of the Gaza war last October, Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged daily barrages of rockets, artillery, missile fire and air strikes in a standoff that has just stopped short of full-scale war.
Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.
Israeli strikes have killed nearly 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, including medics, children and journalists, while 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed.