17/10/2022
JUST IN: Reports.
On Sunday, the Lebanese military alleged that Israeli naval gunships had entered Lebanon's territorial seas, violating Lebanon's sovereignty. The allegation was denied by the .
The most recent reported incident allegedly occurred on Saturday off the coast of Naqoura in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese military, which also claims an Israeli vessel entered Lebanese territory for about 330 metres and remained there for 10 minutes before returning. Lebanon stated that this event was the most recent of several that had occurred in recent weeks and that they had brought up the matter with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon ().
The allegation has been denied by the Israeli military. There was no incidence of Israeli vessels violating the territorial seas on the Lebanese border, according to a statement from the IDF. The event occurred shortly after Israel and Lebanon declared they had reached a "historic" understanding about their shared maritime border in the Mediterranean Sea's gas-rich waters.
The exclusive economic zone offshore between Israel and Lebanon is controversial because Israel and Lebanon have never agreed to define their land border; instead, they adhere to a UN-enforced ceasefire "Blue Line". Prior to a gas discovery bonanza that started in the eastern Mediterranean a decade ago, which may have reshaped the region's economic future, the lack of a maritime boundary had not been a significant problem.