IDF: Hezbollah drone downed after flying over border from Lebanon
Military says troops monitored small quadcopter the entire time and brought it down as it entered Israeli airspace
Israeli forces on Tuesday downed a drone that Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group flew over the border, the military said.
A statement from the Israel Defense Forces said troops tracked the drone the entire time. It did not specify how the drone was brought down as it entered Israeli airspace.
A picture of the drone released by the military showed a small quadcopter that did not appear to be armed.
“The IDF will continue to act to prevent violations of the State of Israel’s sovereignty,” the statement said.
There was no immediate statement from Hezbollah nor affiliated media outlets on the drone.
In August, the IDF similarly said it downed a drone belonging to Hezbollah, days after the largest exchange of fire on the border since the 2006 Second Lebanon War between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group.
Tuesday’s incident came a day after the anniversary of the United States drone strike that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was responsible for Iran’s overseas operations and backing of armed groups such as Hezbollah.
The day was marked with a series of assaults that highlighted the reach of Iran-allied militias, including the seizure of a ship in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the targeting of Baghdad’s international airport with armed drones, and the hacking of the Jerusalem Post’s website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
