UN shoots down Israeli drone as tensions flare in Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has confirmed it shot down an Israeli drone on October 26th, after it flew “in an aggressive manner” over a peacekeeping patrol near the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila, according to the BBC.
The incident marks the latest escalation between UN forces and the Israeli military along the volatile border. In a statement, UNIFIL said its troops used “necessary defensive countermeasures.” The Israeli military disputed this account, describing the aircraft as part of a “routine intelligence-gathering activity.”
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, stated that an initial investigation indicated UNIFIL forces “deliberately fired at the drone and downed it,” adding that “the drone’s activity did not pose a threat.” He confirmed that Israeli forces later dropped a grenade near the site where the drone landed but insisted that “no fire was directed at UNIFIL forces.”
UNIFIL, however, reported that another Israeli drone released a grenade “close” to a patrol shortly before an Israeli tank fired a round in the same direction. “Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to the UNIFIL peacekeepers and assets,” the mission said.
This latest escalation by the Israeli Occupational Forces (IOF) comes as no surprise considering that Israel has admitted to breaching the ceasefire on hundreds of occasions.
The downing of an Israeli drone by UN peacekeepers is a rare event however. The last known case took place in October last year, when a German naval vessel involved with UNIFIL intercepted and neutralised a drone off Lebanon’s coast, during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Although a ceasefire agreement was formally reached in November 2024 to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, it has largely failed to hold in practice. Israeli surveillance flights and air strikes inside Lebanon have continued, with the Israeli military claiming it is targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure. Lebanese authorities and the UN maintain that these operations constitute repeated violations of the ceasefire and Lebanon’s sovereignty, rendering the truce effectively meaningless on the ground.
Under the ceasefire terms, Israel was to withdraw all troops from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah was expected to redeploy its fighters north of the Litani River and dismantle its military positions there.
However, Israel has refused to withdraw from the south until Hezbollah disarms. As a result the IOF have maintained several forward positions along the border and have intensified its aerial operations in recent weeks.
Only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL are authorised to operate armed forces south of the Litani River, yet Israel’s ongoing military activity has undermined international efforts to stabilise the region. UN officials have warned that the persistence of Israeli incursions risks reigniting large-scale conflict.
The latest incident comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to revive the faltering truce. A meeting of the US and French-led ceasefire review system, chaired by General Joseph Clearfield, is scheduled to take place with participation from US envoy Morgan Ortagus. However diplomatic efforts to reign in Israeli aggression in southern Lebanon have proved hopeless as Israel continues to stray farther from the boundaries set by its Western allies.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad are also expected to hold talks, while the the return of US envoy Tom Barrack in Beirut is also set to take place.
Hezbollah has refused to disarm until Israeli forces withdraw from southern Lebanon but Israel refuses to withdraw until Hezbollah disarms, leaving the two sides trapped in a quagmire of violence and broken promises that the UN and other international bodies seem powerless to stop.
BBC News, Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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