A photo released by the Israeli military shows a downed drone that it claims belonged to Hezbollah. (Twitter/@AvichayAdraee)
BEIRUT — The Israeli army intercepted and shot down a drone on Tuesday that it says was launched from Lebanon across the southern border and is allegedly “linked to Hezbollah,” an Israeli army spokesperson said in a tweet.
The Arab-speaking Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said that the drone "infiltrated from inside Lebanon into Israeli territory in the area of Zarit town," adding that the Israeli army "shot it down." Adraee also accused Hezbollah of launching the drone into Israel.
A Hezbollah spokesperson denied the party's involvement in the incident and told L’Orient Today that the drone "most probably belongs to an individual who might have launched it in a personal initiative," adding that Hezbollah has no further information about the incident.
“Our surveillance systems followed the drone throughout its flight,” the Israeli army spokesperson said, adding that Israel will continue to work to “prevent any violations of the Israeli state’s sovereignty.”
In early July, amid tense Lebanese-Israeli maritime border negotiations, Hezbollah sent three unarmed drones towards the offshore Karish gas field as Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that the drones “are only a modest start,” threatening Israel with war.
During the same month, the Israeli army intercepted and shot down a drone that was launched from Lebanon across the southern border and is allegedly “linked to Hezbollah,” the Israeli army spokesperson had said in a tweet. A Hezbollah spokesperson also told L’Orient Today at the time that Hezbollah has no information about the incident.