JERUSALEM, June 10 (Xinhua) -- 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.
"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 (IDF) said in a statement.
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.
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.
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.
Since the beginning of the Gaza conflict, the Israeli military has intercepted 150 aircraft fired toward Israel from multiple fronts, according to army figures. ■
