Israeli Army Drone Crashes Inside Lebanon

FILE PHOTO: A general view picture shows the Lebanese village of Adaisseh on the left-hand-side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from Kibbutz Misgav Am in northern Israel. Reuters
FILE PHOTO: A general view picture shows the Lebanese village of Adaisseh on the left-hand-side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from Kibbutz Misgav Am in northern Israel. Reuters
TT

Israeli Army Drone Crashes Inside Lebanon

FILE PHOTO: A general view picture shows the Lebanese village of Adaisseh on the left-hand-side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from Kibbutz Misgav Am in northern Israel. Reuters
FILE PHOTO: A general view picture shows the Lebanese village of Adaisseh on the left-hand-side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from Kibbutz Misgav Am in northern Israel. Reuters

An Israeli drone crashed inside Lebanon during operational activity along the border, an Israeli military spokeswoman said Sunday.

"There is no concern that any information was leaked," the spokeswoman said.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that the drone crashed after it experienced a technical failure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the Lebanese state was responsible for any attack on Israel from within its territory.

Israel would “not allow Iran to establish a military base” on its northern border, he said in reference to Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon.

His warning came amid an increase in Israeli flights over Lebanon.

The Lebanese army said it recorded a total of 29 violations of Lebanese airspace in the last 48 hours.

Tension rose this week along the Israel-Syria frontier after a Hezbollah member was killed in an apparent Israeli strike on the edge of Damascus on Monday.

The Israeli military said it has since boosted its forces on its northern front, where Israel borders Lebanon and Syria.



Pentagon Acknowledges There Are More than 2,500 US Troops in Iraq

A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)
A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)
TT

Pentagon Acknowledges There Are More than 2,500 US Troops in Iraq

A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)
A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)

The Pentagon acknowledged Monday that there are more than 2,500 US troops in Iraq, the total routinely touted publicly. It also said the number of forces in Syria has grown over the past “several years” due to increasing threats, but was not openly disclosed.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that there are “at least 2,500” US military personnel in Iraq “plus some additional, temporary enablers” that are on rotational deployments.

He said that due to diplomatic considerations, the department will not provide more specifics.

The US concluded sensitive negotiations with the government of Iraq in September that called for troops to begin leaving after the November election.

The presence of US troops there has long been a political liability for Iraqi leaders who are under increased pressure and influence from Iran.

US officials have not provided details about the withdrawal agreement, but it calls for the mission against the ISIS group to end by September 2025, and that some US troops will remain through 2026 to support the anti-ISIS mission in Syria. Some troops may stay in the Kurdistan region after that because the regional government would like them to stay.

Ryder announced last week that there are about 2,000 US troops in Syria – more than double the 900 that the US had acknowledged publicly until now.

On Monday he said the extra 1,100 would be deployed for shorter times to do force protection, transportation, maintenance and other missions. He said the number has fluctuated for the past several years and increased “over time.”