The Lebanese army said on Sunday that Israeli gunboats violated Lebanese territorial waters several times on Saturday, in an area opposite Ras Naqura near the border between the two countries, Reuters reports.
The statement said there were four violations where gunboats entered several hundred meters inside Lebanese waters. The incident reportedly began place at 3:00 p.m. local time on Saturday and the Israeli boat reportedly stayed in Lebanese territory for a period of 10 minutes.
The Lebanese army added that the authorities were discussing the violations with a United Nations Interim Force.
The claim comes days after Israel and Lebanon reached a US-brokered agreement to demarcate their maritime border.
Israel’s security cabinet voted on Wednesday afternoon to back the maritime boundary deal with Lebanon, sending the tentative agreement to the full cabinet for ratification.
Despite pressure from the opposition to bring the deal to a vote in the full Knesset, the government will only allow the Knesset to review the agreement, but without holding a vote on the matter.
On Thursday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun confirmed that the country has approved the US-mediated maritime border deal with Israel.
“This indirect agreement responds to Lebanese demands and maintains all our rights,” Aoun stated.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid hailed the maritime agreement with Lebanon as a "great achievement for the State of Israel, for Israel’s security and for Israel’s economy".
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, accused the government of surrendering to Hezbollah.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Simchat Torah and Shmini Atzeret in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)