UN Peacekeepers and Israeli Military Offer Conflicting Accounts of Drone Incident in Southern Lebanon
An Israeli military drone was shot down by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Sunday, sparking a public disagreement over the circumstances surrounding the incident. The event took place in the Kafr Kila area of southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel.
According to a statement released by the Israeli military, the drone was conducting a routine intelligence-gathering mission and posed no threat to UNIFIL observers when it was targeted. “An initial inquiry suggests that Unifil forces stationed nearby deliberately fired at the drone and downed it,” Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani posted on X. Following the downing, Israel reportedly flew another drone over the area which dropped a grenade, apparently to prevent people from approaching the site.
UNIFIL, however, maintains that the drone was flying in an “aggressive manner” over a patrol near Kfar Kila. Peacekeepers reportedly observed the drone carrying an unidentified object and entering a zone that posed a direct threat to their safety and security. They applied “necessary defensive countermeasures” to neutralize the threat, according to UNIFIL. The peacekeeping force stated that the drone then dropped a grenade approximately 50 meters from the patrol before heading towards Israeli territory.
UNIFIL reported having informed both the Israeli and Lebanese armies of the activity the previous day, as is standard procedure for all activities in sensitive areas near the Blue Line – the de facto border between Lebanon and Israel. Based on these circumstances, UNIFIL concluded that the drone belonged to the Israeli military and had crossed the Blue Line, violating UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
“This use of an armed drone is unacceptable,” UNIFIL stated. The peacekeeping force reminded the Israeli military of its obligation to respect the Blue Line, ensure the safety of peacekeepers and cease attacks on or near them. UNIFIL characterized the Israeli action as a violation of Resolution 1701 and international law, hindering the tasks entrusted to the peacekeeping force by the UN Security Council and jeopardizing efforts to restore stability along the Blue Line.
Following the incident, an Israeli tank reportedly fired a shot towards the peacekeepers, though fortunately, no injuries or damage to UNIFIL personnel or assets were reported.
The incident occurred amidst intensifying Israeli strikes in Lebanon, as efforts continue to maintain a tense ceasefire that ended Israel’s war with Hezbollah last November. There is also mounting pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. The UN and the Lebanese government have stated that Israel’s actions are a violation of the country’s sovereignty and a breach of the ceasefire agreement.
In a separate incident, on September 24, 2025, an Israeli drone crashed into a UNIFIL headquarters near the border with Israel, but did not cause any casualties.
On October 20, 2025, an Israeli drone was observed flying over Beirut, Lebanon.
