Israeli Air Force jets buzz Beirut after Hezbollah sends drone over border

IDF investigating failure to shoot down UAV.

By David Hellerman, World Israel News

In a show of force, Israeli Air Force jets flew over Beirut on Friday several hours after a drone entered Israeli air space from Lebanon.

According to Arab media reports, two IDF jets flew over Beirut from the Mediterranean at low altitude setting off sonic booms.

The flyover was not confirmed by Israeli officials. But it came hours after Hezbollah confirmed it launched an unmanned aerial vehicle which it said reached 70 km (43 miles) inside Israel earlier that day. The Iran-backed terror group said that UAV had been in Israeli air space for 40 minutes before returning to Lebanon.

Although the IDF launched an Iron Dome interceptor and scrambled jets, the UAV returned to Lebanon. Rocket alerts were triggered in the Northern Galilee, and residents reported hearing an explosion, which may have been the Iron Dome interceptor.

The IDF said it was investigating the failure to bring down the UAV, which it described as a “glider” without elaborating. It wasn’t known if the drone was on a reconnaissance mission or carrying any weapons.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address that the terror group was producing its own UAVs. He also said that with Iran’s cooperation, Hezbollah also has the means to upgrade thousands of rockets into precision missiles.

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