Israeli army accuses UNIFIL of shooting down drone over South Lebanon; UN says drone dropped grenade near patrol

The Israeli army accused the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) of shooting down one of its reconnaissance drones over southern Lebanon.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed in a post on X that “an Israeli reconnaissance drone was brought down yesterday in the Kfarkela area in South Lebanon during a routine intelligence-gathering mission.” 

He said an initial investigation indicated that “UNIFIL forces present near the incident site opened deliberate fire at the drone, despite it posing no threat.”

Adraee added that “after the drone was shot down, Israeli forces threw a hand grenade toward the area where the drone fell,” but stressed that “no gunfire was directed at UNIFIL forces.” 

He added that the incident “will continue to be reviewed through military coordination channels.”

However, UNIFIL issued a statement on Sunday evening giving a different account. “At approximately 5:45 p.m., an Israeli drone approached a UNIFIL patrol near the town of Kfarkela and dropped a grenade,” the peacekeeping force said. “Moments later, an Israeli tank fired at the peacekeepers. Fortunately, no casualties or damage to UNIFIL personnel or equipment were reported.”

UNIFIL added that the attack followed “an earlier incident at the same location, where an Israeli drone flew aggressively over a UNIFIL patrol. The peacekeepers took necessary defensive measures to secure the area from the drone.”