IAF downs drone from Iraq approaching Sea of Galilee area

Israeli Air Force fighter jets early on Wednesday shot down a drone from Iraq that was approaching the Sea of Galilee, the military said.

The lake is situated in the northeastern part of the country between the Golan Heights and the Galilee regions.

The interception came after sirens sounded in Tiberias and several other communities between 4:32 and 4:36 a.m. local time. Sirens again sounded after the UAV was shot down due to the possibility of falling shrapnel.

There were no injuries reported in the incident.

Also on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces reported the interception of a drone that crossed from Lebanon into the area off the coast of Rosh HaNikra. Since the UAV was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea, no sirens were activated.

Sirens that sounded in the area of Metula near the Lebanese border and in the Upper Galilee area in the morning hours were false alarms, according to the IDF.

During its nearly year-long war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel has faced attacks from multiple fronts, including at times from the eastern border. An example of the latter was a drone intercepted by Israel’s aerial defense array on the night of Sept. 3.

The drone did not cross into Israeli territory and no injuries were reported, according to the military. According to Israeli media reports, it was shot down over Jordan.

A group of Iranian-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it had launched drones at the Port of Haifa.

A naval base building in the southern Israeli city of Eilat was lightly damaged by a drone attack earlier this year.

The UAV was launched from Iraq and entered Israeli territory from Jordan.

“IDF soldiers identified a suspicious aerial target that crossed from the east towards Israeli territory. The target fell in the area of the Gulf of Eilat. No injuries were reported and there was light damage caused to a building,” the IDF said at the time.