Israeli drone 'shot down' over Lebanon

The drone exploded in the sky, Lebanon’s NBN channel said, noting witnesses had heard the explosion.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters the drone was shot down, though this was rejected as false by the Israeli military which confirmed anti-aircraft missiles were fired, but missed the target.

On Monday, Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said it downed an Israeli drone after it flew over the UN-demarcated Blue Line border. 

Hezbollah said it "downed a drone belonging to the Israeli enemy that had entered Lebanese airspace outside Blida" in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military confirmed Monday’s incident, saying: "during IDF operational activity along the Blue Line, an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory".

Ten days prior, the Israeli army shot down an unmanned aircraft it said had entered its airspace from Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon are still technically at war, and a United Nations force, UNIFIL, patrols the border between the two.

Set up in 1978, UNIFIL was beefed up after a month-long devastating war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah had in September 2019 vowed to down Israeli drones overflying Lebanon following an incident a month earlier when two drones packed with explosives targeted the movement’s stronghold in south Beirut.

The group is the only side not to have disarmed following Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, and it is also a powerful player in Lebanese politics with seats in parliament.

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