Israel Shoots Down Drone from Lebanon, Military Says

Israeli soldiers watch as Hezbollah supporters mark the "Liberation Day", the 23rd anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 25, 2000, on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Thursday, May 25, 2023. (AP)
Israeli soldiers watch as Hezbollah supporters mark the "Liberation Day", the 23rd anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 25, 2000, on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Thursday, May 25, 2023. (AP)
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Israel Shoots Down Drone from Lebanon, Military Says

Israeli soldiers watch as Hezbollah supporters mark the "Liberation Day", the 23rd anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 25, 2000, on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Thursday, May 25, 2023. (AP)
Israeli soldiers watch as Hezbollah supporters mark the "Liberation Day", the 23rd anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 25, 2000, on the Lebanese-Israeli border in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Thursday, May 25, 2023. (AP)

Israel shot down a drone that had crossed over from Lebanon on Thursday, its military said in a statement.

"A short while ago, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers identified and downed a drone crossing from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory towards the town of Zar'it," the military said.

It did not immediately identify who had sent the drone from Lebanon and released a photo of a UAV lying in a thicket of thorns. "The IDF will continue to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty," the military said.

Last month, Israel said Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was behind a rare roadside bomb attack that wounded a motorist in northern Israel in March, and in the past has said it shot down the group's drones.

Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel fought a month-long war in 2006 and have traded fire on several occasions since but have avoided a large-scale confrontation.



Israel Says It Captured Weapons from Iran Being Smuggled to West Bank

An Israeli soldier holds a weapon during an Israeli raid, in Al-Faraa camp near Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli soldier holds a weapon during an Israeli raid, in Al-Faraa camp near Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israel Says It Captured Weapons from Iran Being Smuggled to West Bank

An Israeli soldier holds a weapon during an Israeli raid, in Al-Faraa camp near Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli soldier holds a weapon during an Israeli raid, in Al-Faraa camp near Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli authorities say they seized a large cache of weapons originating in Iran and bound for Palestinian fighters in the West Bank.

A joint statement from the military and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency on Wednesday said the cache included rockets, explosives, mortar launchers, sniper rifles and other weapons. They released photos purporting to show the weapons.

The statement did not say where the seizure took place, and the military did not respond to a request for comment.

The statement identified two units of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, one purportedly based in Syria, that it said were responsible for the smuggling, and named their commanders. It did not provide further evidence of Iran’s involvement.

Israel has carried out near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank in recent years, targeting what it says are militants planning attacks.

The violence spiked after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Health Ministry says nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since then. There has also been a rise in Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for a future state.