Drone 'neutralized' by German ship participating in UNIFIL off Lebanon coast

A German Navy vessel participating in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) repelled a drone off the Lebanese coast, a military spokesperson said.

The corvette "Ludwigshafen am Rhein," deployed off the Lebanese coast as part of the U.N. force, repelled the approach of a drone amid rising tensions in the region, a spokesperson for the operational command of the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) told the German news agency DPA in Berlin.

"The unmanned missile was repelled in a controlled manner off the Lebanese coast using a defense system," the operations spokesperson said, as reported by several German media outlets citing DPA and also by Haaretz.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti confirmed that "in accordance with existing procedures, electronic countermeasures were used" against a drone "of unknown origin that was approaching a vessel" of the maritime task force of the U.N. force off southern Lebanon. The device "fell and exploded by itself."

UNIFIL is investigating the incident.