Hezbollah Says It Shoots Down Israeli Drone over Lebanon

 Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Khiam near the border on June 8, 2024 amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (AFP)
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Khiam near the border on June 8, 2024 amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (AFP)
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Hezbollah Says It Shoots Down Israeli Drone over Lebanon

 Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Khiam near the border on June 8, 2024 amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (AFP)
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Khiam near the border on June 8, 2024 amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (AFP)

Lebanon's Hezbollah party said its air defenses downed an Israeli attack drone over southern Lebanon on Monday, and the Israeli military confirmed the loss of the drone.

"A surface-to-air missile was launched toward an Israeli Air Force UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that was operating in Lebanese airspace. As a result, the UAV was damaged and fell in Lebanese territory," the Israeli military said.

Iran-backed Hezbollah said in a statement it hit a Hermes 900 aircraft, an Israeli-made reconnaissance and attack drone.

Lebanon's southern border has seen an uptick in hostilities over the past week, with both the Israeli military and Hezbollah striking locations outside the border strip where the exchanges of fire have been concentrated, and with increased intensity.

On Saturday, two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun.

Hezbollah said its fighters retaliated on the same day by firing rockets on Malkia, in northern Israel, followed by a salvo of missiles at a military command center in northern Israel using the Falaq 2 rockets.



UN Mission in Lebanon Needs Different Rules of Engagement, Says Italy

12 October 2024, Lebanon, Qliyaa: United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) peace keeping troops from the Spanish contingent conduct an early morning patrol in the southern Lebanese village of Qliyaa. Israeli forces attacked UNIFIL bases in south Lebanon wounding two soldiers. Photo: Stringer/dpa
12 October 2024, Lebanon, Qliyaa: United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) peace keeping troops from the Spanish contingent conduct an early morning patrol in the southern Lebanese village of Qliyaa. Israeli forces attacked UNIFIL bases in south Lebanon wounding two soldiers. Photo: Stringer/dpa
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UN Mission in Lebanon Needs Different Rules of Engagement, Says Italy

12 October 2024, Lebanon, Qliyaa: United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) peace keeping troops from the Spanish contingent conduct an early morning patrol in the southern Lebanese village of Qliyaa. Israeli forces attacked UNIFIL bases in south Lebanon wounding two soldiers. Photo: Stringer/dpa
12 October 2024, Lebanon, Qliyaa: United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) peace keeping troops from the Spanish contingent conduct an early morning patrol in the southern Lebanese village of Qliyaa. Israeli forces attacked UNIFIL bases in south Lebanon wounding two soldiers. Photo: Stringer/dpa

The 16 EU countries contributing to the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, believe its rules of engagement need to be more effective, an Italian defense ministry statement said on Wednesday.

The European Union allies also think pressure must be applied to prevent any more attacks by Israeli forces on UNIFIL positions, the statement said.

According to Reuters, the Italian readout followed a call between the defense ministers of the 16 countries, taking place days after Israeli attacks on UN bases in Lebanon, and ahead of a Friday visit to the country by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The statement said a "key point that emerged from the meeting was a shared willingness to exert maximum political and diplomatic pressure on Israel so that no further incidents occur."

It also said "that Hezbollah cannot use UNIFIL personnel as shields in the context of the conflict".