Lebanese PM calls Israeli drones in Beirut attack on sovereignty

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Sunday the fall of two Israeli drones in Beirut was a threat to regional stability that heightened tensions, describing it as an open attack on the country’s sovereignty.

Hariri said he was in consultations with President Michel Aoun on what next steps would be undertaken over what he called the “new aggression”. He said there was also a heavy presence of planes in the sky over the capital and its suburbs, his office said in a statement.

Earlier on Sunday, the Lebanese army confirmed that the drones were Israeli. “Two drones belonging to the Israeli enemy violated Lebanese airspace (at dawn)… over the southern suburbs of Beirut. The first fell while the second exploded in the air causing material damage,” an army statement said.

The early morning incident came hours after Israel launched airstrikes in neighboring Syria.