Israeli army says drone downed in Lebanon

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army confirmed that a drone was shot down in Lebanon on Monday, with Hezbollah claiming responsibility.

A military statement said the drone was downed by a surface-to-air missile over Lebanon.

Hezbollah said its fighters spotted the drone and targeted it with air defense missiles.

It said the Israeli drone was a Hermes 900 type, a large surveillance and attack UAV used by the Israeli military.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the drone was downed over Iqlim al-Tuffah in southern Lebanon.

The incident marks the fifth time an Israeli military drone has been shot down by Hezbollah amid cross-border attacks between the two sides.

Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military onslaught in the Gaza Strip that has killed over 37,100 people since a major attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara