Hezbollah Fires Anti-Ship Missile at British Warship Off Lebanon Coast
Hezbollah strikes a British Royal Navy warship with a cruise missile 70 miles off the Lebanese coast. While Hezbollah claimed to target an Israeli vessel, Israeli assessments confirm a NATO member's ship was hit.
Hezbollah launched a naval cruise missile at a British Royal Navy warship approximately 70 miles (68 nautical miles) off the Lebanese coast early Sunday, according to Israeli assessments.
Hezbollah claimed in an official statement that its fighters carried out a “precise” strike on what it described as an Israeli warship that was “preparing to launch attacks on Lebanese territory.” The group said it monitored the target for hours before firing the sea-to-surface missile and confirmed a direct hit.
However, the Israeli military denies that any Israeli warship was targeted or hit.
Israeli Channel 14 journalist Hallel Bitton Rosen reported that Hezbollah misidentified the vessel and struck a British warship instead. Israeli assessments confirm the British vessel sustained damage.
The incident marks a significant escalation, as it is the first time in the current conflict that Hezbollah has claimed a successful anti-ship cruise missile strike at such a distance and the first reported involvement of a NATO member’s warship being directly hit.
No official confirmation or details on the extent of damage or crew status have been released yet by the UK Ministry of Defence. The IDF has not commented further on the British vessel.
This comes amid heightened naval activity in the eastern Mediterranean as tensions between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran continue to boil over.