Lebanese army says it captured crashed Israeli drone
Photos and video show aircraft, bearing IAF insignia, being pulled out of water in Tripoli; IDF refuses to comment
An Israeli drone crashed Saturday morning in the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, the Lebanese army announced.
It was the second such incident in the country in three weeks.
“Around 8:30 a.m. (0530 GMT), a drone belonging to the Israeli enemy fell in the port of Tripoli,” said the military statement.
Photos posted on twitter claimed to show the aircraft being pulled out of the water. It bore the insignia of the Israeli Air Force — a blue Star of David on a white background.
PHOTOS: Israeli drone crashed into waters off the coast #Tripoli in #Lebanon: Army – @Terror_Monitor http://t.co/TA88uc0iRc
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) July 11, 2015
A video made by the Lebanese military showed the aircraft on the ground as soldiers milled around it.
The Israeli military would not comment on the incident.
https://youtu.be/Ntglr2ad7Ws
On June 21, Israel carried out an air strike in eastern Lebanon to destroy one of its drones that had crashed in the mountains outside the village of Saghbine.
Images published by Lebanese media purported to show the remains of the drone that was targeted, including what looked to be a wing and twisted pieces of metal.
A Lebanese defense officials told local media that the drone crashed near Saghbine, though he refused to go into detail until there had been “a proper investigation.”
Al-Nahar, a Lebanese newspaper, uploaded photographs of the supposed Israeli drone’s wreckage.
The IDF spokesperson had no comment on the report.
Israel has allegedly carried out a number of airstrikes against Hezbollah in Syria in recent months, most notably a January strike that reportedly killed 12 people — six Hezbollah members and six Iranian soldiers — including Iranian general Mohammad Ali Allahdadi.
The Times of Israel Community.