An unmanned aerial vehicle that fell near the home of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in Kiryat Arba on Saturday belonged to a local teenager, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed to JNS on Sunday.
An IDF spokesperson told JNS that soldiers retrieved the drone from the Givat HaAvot neighborhood of Kiryat Arba, adjacent to the Judea city of Hebron. The military said the UAV did not pose a security threat.
Ben-Gvir’s office had said on Saturday night that security officials informed the minister of the incident during Shabbat, adding that the circumstances of the incident were under investigation.
“The minister and his family are safe,” the statement said.
Israeli security forces have thwarted numerous attacks in recent years targeting Ben-Gvir, who heads the right-wing Otzma Yehudit Party.
In September 2025, a Hamas terrorist cell from the Hebron area was arrested by Israeli security forces for plotting to assassinate Ben-Gvir using explosive-laden drones.
The joint operation by the Shin Bet and IDF uncovered that the suspects had acquired drones with the assistance of Hamas’s Turkey offices. Multiple UAVs were seized during the arrests.
