Escalation? Israel shoots down Hezbollah drone, likely supplied by Iran

The drone which penetrated Israeli airspace on Thursday was part of a publicity stunt staged by Hezbollah to remind its people that the extremist Shiite organization remains dedicated to destroying Israel.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (Catholic Online) - On Thursday, Israeli Defense Forces were scrambled as a drone entered the nation's airspace from Lebanon. The drone, unlike earlier one sent last October, failed to make much penetration before it was shot down.

In October, a drone managed to fly deep into Israeli airspace before it was intercepted.

Thursday's drone was shot down over the sea, so the navy is leading the search for wreckage.

Iran is a strong supporter of Hezbollah and it is believed the drones feature Iranian design. Iran already has drones in its arsenal, although their capability is subject to question.

The drone sent by Hezbollah is also of unknown capability. Can it transmit video in real time? Can it be modified to carry weapons? If it can be weaponized, it would represent a serious escalation in the region.

The drone penetrated the airspace near Haifa which is a critical port city and the location of several strategic facilities including a petrochemical plant which has been previously threatened.

Fortunately, the IDF is on alert and yesterday's downing of the drone shows they can effectively prevent potentially dangerous incursions.

It is widely speculated that Hezbollah sent the drone as a publicity stunt in an effort to demonstrate to their own people that they still have an emphasis on destroying Israel. Recently, Hezbollah has been sending fighters and resources to support the regime of Bashir al Assad in Syria. Many Lebanese are upset at this involvement.

The drone then, is a distraction away from Syria. It is also an egregious threat to Israel, one the state must take very seriously.

Meanwhile, in Iran, the centrifuges spin.

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