Lebanon’s Hezbollah announced on Sunday that it had shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon using a surface-to-air missile. This is the first time that Hezbollah has publicly declared such an incident, which highlights the escalating clashes on the Lebanese border.
The drone was targeted near Khiam, approximately 5 km (3 miles) from the Israeli border, and it was observed falling within Israeli territory, according to Hezbollah. Lebanese security sources confirmed that this is the first time Hezbollah has openly claimed the downing of an Israeli drone.
Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center commented, “They have hinted at having this capability before, but it is the first time they have formally declared that they possess the capability to shoot down a drone.”
The Israeli Defence Ministry has not yet provided a comment on the incident.
Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations’ Lebanon peacekeeping force UNIFIL reported that one of its members was injured after shells struck its base near the village of Houla on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Saturday.
Since the beginning of the Gaza conflict three weeks ago, the Israeli army and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been engaging in daily exchanges of fire.
According to Hezbollah, a total of 46 Hezbollah fighters have been killed and 43 injured in the borderlands to date. The group also stated that it has launched 84 attacks at 42 locations along the border since the clashes began. Israel’s military has reported the death of at least seven of its soldiers so far.