The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday said it shot down a surveillance drone launched by the Hezbollah terror group toward Israel.
No sirens sounded amid the incident, the military noted in its statement, adding: “The IDF will not allow terror activities by the Hezbollah terror organization in Lebanon, and will act to remove any threat to Israel or its citizens.”
It was the first such incident since a ceasefire deal went into effect in late November, after more than a year of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group, and a violation by Hezbollah of the agreement, which forbids the terror group from operating south of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Israel. The deal allows Israel to respond to imminent threats.
According to the military, the drone Thursday was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force using a ground-based air defense system before it crossed the border into Israel.
The incident came in the wake of an Israeli airstrike on a Hezbollah weapons convoy on Tuesday, and reports — unconfirmed by the military — of an Israeli drone strike Wednesday.