UN Peacekeepers Down Israeli Drone Amid Tensions in Lebanon

Mon Oct 27 2025 18:57:22 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a rare escalation, UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon have shot down an Israeli drone, citing aggressive maneuvers near their patrols, while Israel claims it was merely conducting routine operations.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as Unifil, recently shot down an Israeli drone over Kfar Kila, leading to heightened tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel asserts the drone was performing routine intelligence tasks, but Unifil reported it was acting 'aggressively'. This incident marks a rare action by Unifil, adding to ongoing diplomatic efforts to uphold a ceasefire amid persistent Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah targets.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon says it shot down an Israeli drone that flew over a patrol operating in the south of the country on Sunday, in the latest incident involving the force and Israel's military.

Unifil said the drone was flying in an aggressive manner near the border town of Kfar Kila and that peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures.

The Israeli military, however, said the drone was carrying out routine intelligence-gathering activity.

An initial inquiry suggests that Unifil forces stationed nearby deliberately fired at the drone and downed it. The drone's activity did not pose a threat to Unifil forces, spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani posted on X.

He added that Israeli forces later dropped a grenade toward the area where the drone fell.

It should be emphasised that no fire was directed at Unifil forces. The incident is being further reviewed through military coordination channels, he added.

Unifil stated that the grenade was dropped by another Israeli drone close to a patrol.

Moments later, an Israeli tank fired a shot towards the peacekeepers. Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to the Unifil peacekeepers and assets.

Despite a ceasefire that came into force last November that ended the war with Hezbollah, Israel has continued to fly drones over Lebanon and carry out air strikes on targets in Lebanon it says are linked to the group.

The military claims it is acting to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping and rearming.

The UN and the Lebanese government argue that Israel's actions violate the country's sovereignty and breach the ceasefire agreement.

Downing an Israeli drone is a rare action by Unifil, which has been present on Lebanon's southern border since 1978 and is scheduled for a year-long withdrawal beginning in 2026.

The last known instance occurred in October 2024, when a German naval vessel in Unifil intercepted a drone off Lebanon's coast during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The latest flare-up comes amid ongoing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border despite a ceasefire reached last year. This week is marked by intensive diplomatic efforts to reinforce the truce and strengthen state authority in southern Lebanon.

A new meeting of the US and French-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism, along with visits from Arab League and US officials, is expected to facilitate discussions regarding the ongoing instability in the region.