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The downing of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) happened near Kfar Kila in the eastern operations sector of UNIFIL in south Lebanon. In a statement UNIFIL said that the drone was operating in an “aggressive manner” above peacekeepers in the area. The UN said the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) also dropped a grenade and an IDF tank fired a shot also in response to the shoot down. “At about 5:45pm, an Israeli drone came close to a UNIFIL patrol operating near Kfar Kila and dropped a grenade. Moments later, an Israeli tank fired a shot towards the peacekeepers. Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to the UNIFIL peacekeepers and assets. “This followed an earlier incident in the same location in which an Israeli drone flew over the UNIFIL patrol in an aggressive manner. The peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralise the drone. “These actions by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are in violation of Security Council resolution 1701 and Lebanon’s sovereignty, and show disregard for safety and security of the peacekeepers implementing Security Council-mandated tasks in southern Lebanon,” the UNIFIL statement read. The Irish Defence Forces confirmed in a statement that there were no Irish troops involved in the incident. “Óglaigh na hÉireann can confirm that no Irish personnel were involved in the aforementioned incident. All Irish troops are accounted for and are continuing their operational taskings in line with the UNIFIL mandate,” a spokesman said. The Journal understands the incident occured in the Spanish patrolled area in the east. There has been a large amount of activity in the Kafr Kila area as the IDF target alleged members of the Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group. Kafr Kila is a strongly Shia area, which is the religious sect associated with Hezbollah. The Irish are based further to the west and it is not in their area of operations. Advertisement A file image of an Israeli Hermes drone.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo On a visit this month and on another trip in March we observed Israeli military drones orbiting above the Irish camp and surrounding areas. This is a breach of the UN Security Council resolution which governs the deployment of troops to the area and which Lebanon and Israel have signed up to cooperate with. An IDF drone dropped grenades near Irish peacekeepers in October who were assisting people clear debris from bombed out homes in recent months. There has been a series of escalating incidents by Israel against Peacekeepers in the area including shots fired towards troops, laser targeting systems pointed at them and drone incidents. Israel has succeeded in convincing the United States to block the renewal of the mandate for UNIFIL to continue keeping the peace in south Lebanon. This coupled with a major set of cutbacks by the United Nations because of a shortfall in donations from various countries is now making the Lebanon mission more and more fraught. In a statement on X Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesman, said that the drone was a surveillance platform and denied it was being agressive towards troops. “Yesterday, an IDF intelligence-gathering drone was downed in the area of Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon during a routine intelligence-gathering activity in the area. “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. “Following the downing of the drone, IDF troops 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 said. Israel has conducted a number of operations over the weekend in Lebanon – including drone strikes targeting senior Hezbollah fighters in the Beqaa Valley and South Lebanon. One of the dead men is accused by Israel of being a senior member of the militant group’s Radwan special forces. The other was allegedly involved in arms smuggling. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. 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