Lebanese armed group Hezbollah reported that it had downed an Israeli drone in southern Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the drone was brought down by a surface-to-air missile. Hezbollah’s statement detailed that the incident occurred over the Al Aishiyeh area at 10:50 p.m. local time.
The group specified that the downed drone was a Hermes 450, a type of combat drone used primarily for reconnaissance, produced by Elbit Systems in Haifa.
Following the incident, the IDF responded by targeting the missile launch site with airstrikes, as per their statement on Telegram.
The Israeli military also reiterated its intention to continue operations in Lebanese airspace to secure Israel’s safety.
This ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has seen frequent exchanges of fire since October 2023, particularly after heightened tensions in the Gaza Strip initiated by military actions following an attack by Hamas on October 7.
Three Hezbollah militants were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a residence in Southern Lebanon this Saturday. The strike occurred amid near-daily cross-border shelling since the onset of the war in Gaza over six months ago.
According to a source close to Hezbollah cited by Agence France-Presse, the intensity of Hezbollah’s attacks on military sites increased this week, resulting in several injuries among Israeli forces, mostly soldiers.
The source, who chose to remain anonymous, reported that the Israeli strike not only killed three Hezbollah members but also severely wounded two others in the town of Jebin in southern Lebanon.
