TEL AVIV, June 17. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted a suspicious target that entered the country's airspace from Lebanon, the army press service said.

"Earlier this morning, a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into the maritime space near Acre in northern Israel was successfully intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array," the army said, adding that no air raid sirens were activated in accordance with protocol.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.