IDF drone downed in north, Hezbollah takes credit

Israel says no sensitive information was lost with the drone’s loss.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

An IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory during Israeli Army operational activity along the Blue Line on Saturday.

Hezbollah said it downed the drone as it entered Lebanon’s territory. TV station Al-Manar, a Hezbollah mouthpiece, said the drone was in the hands of the terror organization.

“There is no risk of breach of information,” the IDF said.

Tensions remain high in the north since last month. During a July 20 airstrike by Israel against terror targets outside of Damascus, a Hezbollah member, Ali Kamel Mohsen Jawad, was killed. Hezbollah swore to avenge his death.

A week later, on July 27, a cell of Hezbollah terrorists tried to cross the border. According to Israel’s Channel 12, they were spotted by an alert soldier at an IDF outpost – a fresh, 19-year-old female recruit – leading to a quick IDF response that drove the cell back.

Hezbollah has sworn to take revenge for any attacks that kill its members in Syria. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes against Syria to prevent the entrenchment of Iran on Syrian soil. Hezbollah is a proxy of Iran and its members are often in the vicinity of Iranian operations on Syrian territory.

Over the past week, most of Israel’s military activity has taken place in Israel’s south, where Hamas has escalated its attacks on Israel, launching fire balloons, rockets and instigating riots along the border.

Overnight Thursday into Friday, a Hamas rocket struck a home in the southern city of Sderot. “We had a big miracle that the rocket, or whatever it was, didn’t cause greater damage,” said the homeowner Shlomo Malkah.

Paramedics offered first aid to three people close to the house who suffered shock.