Israeli warship violate Lebanese waters

An Israeli warship entered Lebanon's waters Monday but was intercepted by an Italian ship operating as part of UNIFIL, the army says.

"An Israeli Saar warship entered Lebanese territorial waters at 7:30 am (0530 GMT) yesterday morning before being intercepted by the Italian navy's Bettica, which is part of UNIFIL," an army spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.

The Israeli vessel traveled about five kilometers before leaving, according to an army statement.

"We received a report saying that a ship coming from Israel entered the maritime area of operation without proper procedures, violating Lebanese territorial waters," Yasmina Bouziane, spokeswoman for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said adding that an investigation was underway.

Israeli jets regularly violate Lebanese airspace, but it is rare for warships to enter Lebanese territorial waters.

Israel has threatened to wage another war against Lebanon last week if Hezbollah retaliates for the killing of its commander, Imad Mugniyah, who was killed in a car bomb on February 12 in Damascus.

The regime fought a 33-day war against Hezbollah in summer 2006 to destroy the military power of the resistance group, but a recently published Winograd report revealed that the conflict brought a humiliating defeat to the regime.