Lebanese Army shoots down ‘israeli’ drone along southern border

According to the Lebanese Army, their forces shot down the IDF drone over the town of Aita Al-Sha’ab in the southern part of the country after it was seen flying over the area.

The Israeli army later admitted on Thursday evening that its drone had crashed in Lebanese territory and made it clear in a statement that “there is no fear that the information carried by this plane will leak.”

The announcement came a week after the tripartite meeting headed by the Commander-in-Chief of UNIFIL Major General Stefano Del Col in Naqqoura, in the presence of representatives of the Lebanese and Israeli armies, which discussed the situation along the Blue Line, and in particular the tension that ensued after the exchange of fire between Hezbollah and the IDF.

The UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for one year, and reduced the number of this force, calling on Beirut to facilitate access to tunnels crossing the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel.

The UNIFIL forces have been present in Lebanon since 1978, and they were strengthened after the summer war of 2006 and ended with the issuance of UN Resolution 1701, which established a cessation of hostilities and strengthened the deployment of these forces and their missions, as it mandated them to monitor the cessation of hostilities in coordination with the Lebanese army.