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Authorities in Israel say they have shot down three Hezbollah drones heading towards one of its gas rigs in a disputed area of the Mediterranean, BBC reported.

Military officials say the drones were launched from Lebanon and were shot down by a combination of fighter jets and ship-mounted missiles. 

Hezbollah confirmed it had launched the drones in a short statement.

Tensions have mounted between Israel and Lebanon over ownership of the Karish gas field.

US energy envoy Amos Hochstein is mediating between the two countries to settle the longstanding dispute. Israel says the field lies within its UN-recognised exclusive economic zone, but Lebanon has also laid claim to parts of it, according to BBC.

Hezbollah said it had targeted the rig as part of a reconnaissance flight. 

"The mission was accomplished and the message was received," the statement said.

Last week, the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened to use force to prevent Israel from operating the rig.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said the Islamist group was "preventing the state of Lebanon from reaching an agreement regarding maritime borders, which are critical to the economy and prosperity of the Lebanese nation".

Hezbollah's reported attack comes amid political instability in Israel. On Thursday lawmakers voted to dissolve parliament and call the fifth election in four years, BBC reported.

The vote, which comes after the collapse of former Prime Minster Naftali Bennett's multi-party coalition, offers Benjamin Netanyahu, the right-wing opposition leader, a chance to return to power. 

The National Assembly today passed three separate bills related to the budget for the next fiscal year, amidst the boycott of the main opposition party, the CPN-UML.

The Upper House of the Federal Parliament passed the Finance Bill, 2079 BS, the Bill to Mobilize National Loans, 2079 BS and the Loans and Guarantee (Twenty-fifth Amendment) Bill, 2079 BS.

A meeting of the National Assembly passed by a majority a proposal presented by Finance Minister Janardan Sharma seeking the Upper House pass the budget-related three bills that have been received by the National Assembly with the message from the House of Representatives.

These bills which have been passed by the Upper House have been sent to the House of Representatives, the Lower House, along with the message.

The Lower House will have to endorse the bills.

The CPN (UML) lawmakers boycotted the meeting blaming that the tax rates in the budget were manipulated in collusion with an unauthorized person a day before presenting budget in the parliament.

The UML lawmakers exited from the assembly hall saying they were not taking part in the discussions on the topics related to the Finance Bill.

NATO leaders concluded their three-day meeting in Madrid Thursday with the Western security alliance strengthening its defense against Russian aggression, warning of global challenges posed by China and inviting neutral countries Finland and Sweden into the group, Voanews.com reported.

US President Joe Biden described the summit as “historic.”

“The last time NATO drafted a new mission statement was 12 years ago,” Biden said, referring to a document also known as the alliance’s Strategic Concept.

“At that time, it characterized Russia as a partner, and it didn't mention China. The world has changed, changed a great deal since then, and NATO is changing as well. At this summit, we rallied our alliances to meet both the direct threats that Russia poses to Europe and the systemic challenges that China poses to a rules-based world order. And we've invited two new members to join NATO,” Biden said.

Biden reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has only strengthened NATO.

“He tried to weaken us, expected our resolve to fracture but he's getting exactly what he did not want,” Biden said. “He wanted the ‘Finland-ization’ of NATO. He got the ‘NATO-ization’ of Finland.”

On Wednesday Putin dismissed the imminent expansion of the Western alliance.

“With Sweden and Finland, we don't have the problems that we have with Ukraine. They want to join NATO, go ahead," Putin told Russian state television.

“But they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created,” he warned.

As it sets to expand, NATO leaders agreed on a massive increase in troop deployments across Europe. A total of 300,000 soldiers will be placed at high readiness across the continent starting next year to defend against potential military attacks by Moscow on any member of the alliance – what Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg characterized as “the most serious security crisis” since the Second World War.

To bolster NATO’s defense, the United States is also set to establish a permanent headquarters for the U.S. 5th Army Corps in Poland, add a rotational brigade of 3,000 troops and 2,000 other personnel to be headquartered in Romania, and send two additional squadrons of F-35 fighter jets to Britain.

Reaffirming commitments made by other Western leaders, Biden said the U.S. will stand firm against Russia’s aggression. He offered little indication the conflict would conclude anytime soon, suggesting that Americans would have to bear high gas prices longer.

“As long as it takes, so Russia cannot in fact defeat Ukraine and move beyond Ukraine," he said.

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and noted cine artist Rajesh Hamal had a meeting at the former’s residence in Khumaltar on Friday.

The meeting focused on matters relating to Nepal's art and cine sector and other related issues.

According to musician Chetan Sapkota, who was also present on the occasion, the status of Nepal's film industry, State's investment in the relevant field and motivational aspects were among the issues discussed during the meeting.

Stating that the State's sufficient role was still awaited to elevate the domestic film industry to an international-standard, the former Prime Minister insisted on combined efforts for the promotion of the industry. He also took time to praise the long contribution of Hamal as an artist to the enhancement of the industry.

In response, Hamal said leader Dahal was accredited for providing a ground to develop a culture of artists joining the politics openly and acknowledging their presence and experiences in the political sphere. As he stressed, political stability was a prerequisite for institutionalized development in other fields. The two also held general discussions on the nation's latest political developments, it is said.