An Israeli military drone was shot down over Lebanese territory overnight Sunday, the IDF confirmed.
“A surface-to-air missile was launched toward an IAF UAV that was operating in Lebanese airspace. As a result, the UAV was hit and fell in Lebanese territory. The incident is under review,” the military stated, adding that IAF fighter jets struck the site from where the missile was fired.
Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack, saying that it shot down an Elbit Hermes 450, one of Israel’s largest and most sophisticated drones with a wingspan of more than 34 feet and a maximum speed of 100-plus miles per hour.
The Iranian terrorist proxy said that the UAV was shot down over the town of Aaichiyeh, which is located some 8 miles from the Israeli border.
Hezbollah published a video purportedly showing the downing of the drone.
In February, Hezbollah intercepted another Hermes 450 drone over Lebanese territory, prompting the IDF to carry out the deepest strikes inside the country since the start of the war in early October.
Air-raid sirens sounded in northern Israel on Monday morning, with Hezbollah taking responsibility for attacks on the Western Galilee. The terrorist group said it fired towards a “military post in Israeli territory.”
Meanwhile on Sunday, Maj. (res.) Dor Zimel, a deputy company commander in Battalion 8103 of the 6th “Etzioni” Brigade, succumbed to wounds he sustained in a Hezbollah aerial attack on April 17.
Zimel, 27, from Even Yehuda, just outside Netanya, was set to marry his fiancée next month. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of major.
Nineteen people, including 14 soldiers, were wounded in the missile and drone attack on the northern Bedouin town of Arab al-Aramshe.
Tehran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon has carried out near-daily attacks on northern Israel since joining the war in support of Hamas a day after the Oct. 7 invasion of the northwestern Negev.