BEIRUT: The Lebanese army said on Friday its troops shot at an Israeli drone that crossed into Lebanon’s southern airspace, with a security source saying the drone was not brought down.
Israel regularly flies military aircraft in Lebanon’s airspace without permission but it is rare for troops to target them.
The Lebanese army statement said a patrol was inspecting a separate incident in the south when a “drone belonging to the Israeli enemy violated Lebanese airspace,” prompting troops to begin shooting in its direction.
A Lebanese security source told Reuters they did not shoot it down.
The Israeli military said it was not aware of such reports.
Lebanon and Israel agreed in October to delineate their maritime border after years of US-mediated talks. The land boundary between the two remains disputed.
In December, a United Nations peacekeeper was killed when his vehicle was fired on in Lebanon’s south, where security is controlled by powerful anti-Israel party Hezbollah.
Lebanon army shoots at Israeli drone — statement
https://arab.news/828e8
Lebanon army shoots at Israeli drone — statement
- It is rare for Lebanese troops to target Israeli aircraft
Second drone in 24 hours found crashed in northwest Turkiye
- The authorities have pointed the finger at Russia for an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered on Friday near the city of Izmit
ISTANBUL: A drone of unknown origin has been found in Turkiye, less than a day after another unmanned aerial vehicle of suspected Russian origin crashed in the northwest, Turkish media reported on Saturday.
According to several independent television networks and the Cumhuriyet newspaper, the drone was found in an empty field near the town of Balikesir, some three hours southwest of Istanbul.
The Turkish authorities had yet to react to the news, but the Halk TV and Haberturk broadcasters reported that the drone was transported to Ankara for analysis.
Citing farmers, several media outlets reported that the crash appeared to have taken place days ago.
The incident, the third of its kind since Monday, comes after Turkiye warned both Russia and Ukraine against letting their ongoing war spill over elsewhere in the region.
The authorities have pointed the finger at Russia for an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered on Friday near the city of Izmit, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of the Black Sea, which has seen strikes on ships in recent weeks.
According to the Turkish interior ministry, which has opened an investigation, the drone “is believed to be of Russian-made Orlan-10 type used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes according to initial findings.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against the Black Sea becoming an “area of confrontation” between Russia and Ukraine, which occupy the opposite shores of the body of water to Turkiye.
