BEIRUT, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Jamal Yehya, a Lebanese fisherman in his 50s, depends on fishing to support his family of five. However, since the start of the Hezbollah-Israel confrontations, the fisherman, who resides in southern Lebanon, is facing the risk of losing his livelihood.

For local fishermen like Yehya, an essential tool they rely on when going out to sea to cast their nets is the GPS navigation system. But during conflicts with Hezbollah, Israel tends to disrupt or even block local GPS signals.

"A few days ago, I was throwing my cast net in the sea near Tyre city in southern Lebanon, relying on GPS to determine the location. But because of (Israeli) interference, the device determined the wrong place, which appeared to be at a depth of 100 meters instead of 30 meters, so I lost my net and almost lost my boat," Yehya told Xinhua.

According to Ali Mantash, a 60-year-old fisherman, many civilians in southern Lebanon rely on fishing as their primary source of income. Like what Yehya experienced, Israeli interference with the navigation system could potentially lead fishermen towards remote islands and open seas, putting their lives in grave danger.

Since the onset of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict, local fishing activities have greatly decreased. While the sea used to be bustling with fishermen, their presence is now scarce. Only a handful of adventurers, who have no alternative source of income, persist in taking the risk of fishing, said Riad Ataya, head of the fishermen's cooperative in the Tyre-Naqoura region.

At the port of Tyre-Naqoura, Ataya said, more than 200 fishing boats are currently not in use, and the number of fishermen in the region has dropped from around 500 to no more than a few dozen due to the military confrontations.

Last month, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants requested the country's permanent mission to the United Nations (UN) to submit an urgent complaint to the UN Security Council about Israel's "aggressions" against Lebanese sovereignty by interfering in the air and sea navigation systems.

"Lebanon once again demands ... to condemn Israel's interference with the country's navigation systems and hold it responsible for any incident that may occur," Lebanese Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamieh was quoted as saying by the National News Agency.

According to the minister, the government will allocate funds to enable the Lebanese army to provide technical and manpower support to ensure the continuous operation of air and maritime navigation systems.

Tensions escalated along the Lebanon-Israel border on Oct. 8, 2023, as Lebanese armed group Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets towards Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the previous day. In response, Israel retaliated by firing heavy artillery towards southern Lebanon. Enditem

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