The Israeli military on Monday accused UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon of shooting down one of its drones during an intelligence-gathering mission near Kfar Kila.
“An Israeli intelligence-gathering drone was downed…during a routine activity,” said military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani on X. He added that UNIFIL forces nearby deliberately fired at the drone, which posed no threat to the peacekeepers, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
UNIFIL, however, claimed the Israeli drone flew over its patrol in an “aggressive manner”, prompting the peacekeepers to take defensive action.
The UN mission said the incident reflects a disregard for the safety and security of peacekeepers carrying out Security Council-mandated tasks.
UNIFIL also reported a second Israeli drone approached a patrol and dropped a grenade, followed by an Israeli tank firing toward peacekeepers. No injuries or damage were reported.