Israel shoots down alleged drone launched by Hezbollah
The Israeli military says it has shot down an unmanned aircraft launched by Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group into Israeli airspace
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Israeli military on Thursday said it shot down an unmanned aircraft launched by Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group into Israeli airspace.
The incident occurred just a day after Hezbollah's chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said his group has been manufacturing military drones in Lebanon and has the technology to turn thousands of missiles in its possession into precision-guided munitions.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it had monitored the drone “throughout the incident” before shooting it down.
It gave no further details but said it will “continue to operate in order to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty.”
Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies that fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Israel considers the Iranian-backed Hezbollah to be its greatest immediate threat, possessing an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel.
Israel has long expressed concerns that Hezbollah would obtain or develop guided missiles and attack drones.
It routinely carries out strikes in neighboring Syria, many of which are believed to be aimed at halting Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah.