UNIFIL patrol shoots down Israeli drone over Lebanon

The IDF rejected the claim that the aircraft had posed a threat to the peacekeepers.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

UN peacekeepers downed an Israeli drone flying over Lebanon on Sunday, with the French contingent reportedly behind the rare move.

Citing a diplomatic source, Le Figaro reported Monday that French soldiers were part of a UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) patrol that felt threatened while on the ground near the village of Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon.

First, an Israeli UAV had flown over the patrol “in an aggressive manner,” UNIFIL said.

Later in the day, the force said in a statement, there was a “grenade attack on peacekeepers,” when a different Israeli drone “came close” to its patrol “and dropped a grenade.”

It then charged that, “Moments later, an Israeli tank fired a shot toward the peacekeepers. Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to the UNIFIL peacekeepers and assets.”

The peacekeepers then took “necessary defensive countermeasures.”

The IDF rejected UNIFIL’s claim.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that UNIFIL forces, which were present near the location, deliberately fired at the drone despite it posing no threat to them,” IDF Arabic Spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee said, as the aerial vehicle was simply performing “routine intelligence-gathering activity” in the area.

Only after the drone was shot down did an IDF force throw a hand grenade at its location, Adraee added, saying, “It should be emphasized that no fire was directed at UNIFIL forces.”

Adraee noted that the incident “is being further reviewed through military coordination channels.”

UNIFIL, a member along with the US, France, the IDF and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) of the cease-fire monitoring mechanism put in place following Israel’s destruction of Hezbollah forces in Lebanon last November, called the incidents a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.

The cease-fire agreement states that only UNIFIL and LAF forces can be present in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah must move all its forces out of the area to ensure that it can no longer constitute an immediate security threat to Israel’s north.

The terrorist organization had launched thousands of rockets, mortars and drones at Israel in support of Hamas from the day after the Gazan terrorists murdered 1,200 men, women and children on Oct. 7, 2023, triggering a two-year war.

Since then, according to Israel, Hezbollah has constantly tried to rebuild its forces and terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon over the past 11 months. The IDF struck its sites or targeted from the air its senior personnel several times a week, saying it would not tolerate any violations of the accord.

On Monday, Lebanese media identified with Hezbollah reported a significant escalation in Israeli overflights of southern Lebanon and the terror organization’s stronghold in the al-Beqaa region, sparking speculation online that the IDF may be preparing a wider attack in the country.

On Thursday night, the IDF also completed an intensive five-day division-level exercise along the border with Lebanon.