A French soldier of UNIFIL handles a man-portable Mistral surface-to-air missile to monitor violations of Lebanese airspace on July 8, 2025, at the peacekeeping forces' headquarters in Naqoura, southern Lebanon. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The Israeli army accused UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, on Monday of shooting down one of its "intelligence" drones in southern Lebanon near Kfar Kila the previous day, during a "routine" mission in the south of the country.
The peacekeepers, for their part, stated Sunday evening that they had taken "defensive countermeasures" against a drone that was flying aggressively over a patrol.
"A preliminary investigation suggests that UNIFIL forces stationed nearby deliberately fired at the drone and brought it down," wrote Lieutenant Nadav Shoshani, spokesperson for the Israeli army, on X.
He said an investigation is ongoing to examine the circumstances of the incident.
He also stressed that "the drone activity posed no threat" to the peacekeepers.
"Following the drone's destruction, Israeli army troops launched a grenade toward the area where the drone had crashed. No fire was directed at UNIFIL forces," he added.
In its statement, UNIFIL specified that the drone was shot down after peacekeepers came under fire from the Israeli side in the same area in the Marjayoun district.
During a patrol, an Israeli drone approached the U.N. soldiers and "dropped a grenade," the U.N. force said.
Shortly thereafter, "an Israeli tank fired in the direction" of the peacekeepers.
These shots caused neither casualties nor damage.
Also on Sunday in the same locality, as a UNIFIL spokesperson had already confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour, an Israeli drone "flew aggressively over a patrol," prompting the soldiers to "apply defensive measures to neutralize it."
Violation of Resolution 1701 and Lebanese sovereignty
According to our correspondent in the region, Muntasser Abdallah, the battalion involved in this incident would be of French nationality. UNIFIL did not wish to confirm this information.
Shooting down a drone is particularly rare for the peacekeepers.
On Oct. 17, 2024, during the open war between Hezbollah and Israel, a German navy vessel participating in UNIFIL neutralized a drone off the Lebanese coast.
The U.N. force's soldiers, however, are regularly targeted by the Israeli army.
On Oct. 12, a soldier was injured by a grenade launched from an Israeli drone.
In its statement, UNIFIL denounced several violations by the Israeli army of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and of Lebanese sovereignty, and condemned a "lack of consideration for the safety" of the peacekeepers.
Reacting to this incident, the French Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned "the Israeli fire targeted at a detachment of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon [UNIFIL]" on Sunday, noting that these "incidents" followed "those observed on Oct. 1, 2 and 11, when the Israeli army had already targeted UNIFIL positions."
"France recalls that the protection of peacekeepers, the safety and security of U.N. personnel, property, and premises must be ensured, in accordance with international law and Security Council resolution 1701," the Ministry said in a statement.
"UNIFIL must be able to fully carry out its mandate and exercise its freedom of movement," the text continued.
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