Israeli army says intercepted 4 drones from Iraq as regional tensions escalate

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army said Monday that it had intercepted four drones fired from Iraq amid rising regional tensions.

A military statement said the drones were launched from the east, a term used by the Israeli army to describe attacks from Iraq.

Two of the drones were shot down before entering Israeli airspace, the army said, without providing any details about the other two.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group backed by Iran, confirmed in separate statements that it had fired five combat drones toward vital targets in southern and northern Israel.

It vowed to continue its operations “to strike the enemy's strongholds at an increasing pace."

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,600 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

As the conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, nearly 3,200 people have been killed and more than 13,800 others injured in Israeli attacks since last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East region was on the brink of a regional war, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching on Oct. 1 a ground assault into southern Lebanon.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar