Israel’s army said on Thursday it had shot down a drone sent by Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah that entered Israeli airspace.
Neighbors Lebanon and Israel are technically in a state of war and drones have become a regular feature of their heavily guarded border.
In January, Israeli security sources claimed that drones captured after being flown across the frontier from Lebanon have provided insight into the growing aerial surveillance capabilities of Hezbollah, an organization backed by Israel’s nemesis Iran.
The Israeli army, in a statement on Thursday, said “troops downed a drone belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace.”
The Israeli army “will continue to operate in order to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty,” it added.
Our troops downed a Hezbollah drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace today. The drone was monitored by the IDF throughout the incident.
We will continue to prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to violate Israeli sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/Q9vHTJgOA5
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 17, 2022
In July 2006, Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers, sparking a 33-day war with Israel that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
It ended with a UN-backed ceasefire that saw the Lebanese army deploy along border areas.