Israel says it shot down drone from Lebanon's Hezbollah

The Israeli army said Thursday it had shot down a drone from the Lebanese Hezbollah.

JERUSALEM (AFP) - The Israeli army said Thursday it had shot down a drone from the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah the previous night that had crossed into Israeli airspace.

The announcement came nearly a week after Hezbollah fired a volley of rockets at Israeli positions, prompting retaliatory shelling.

"A Hezbollah drone crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace in the eastern part of the Blue Line yesterday," Israel s army said, referring to the UN-demarcated border.

"Our troops monitored and successfully downed the drone," the army said, adding that it forces will "continue to operate in order to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty".

A flare-up along the border last week saw Israel carry out its first air strikes on Lebanese territory in seven years, and Hezbollah claim a direct rocket attack on Israeli territory for the first time since 2019.

Last Friday Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets at open ground near Israeli positions, in the disputed Shebaa Farms border district.

It said the attack came in response to Israeli air strikes on south Lebanon the previous day that were the first since 2014.

Israel said at the time that 19 rockets were fired, six of which hit Israeli ground, three that fell short, and with the rest intercepted by air defences.

Following last Friday s exchange, Israel said it did "not wish to escalate to a full war".

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah later vowed a "suitable and proportionate" response to any Israeli air strikes on Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon fought a 33-day war in the summer of 2006 that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

It ended with a UN-backed ceasefire on August 14, 2006 that saw the Lebanese army deploy along border areas.