Israel Accuses UN Peacekeepers of Shooting Down Military Drone in Southern Lebanon | Tensions Rise Near Kfar Kila

The Israeli military has accused United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon of deliberately shooting down one of its drones during an intelligence-gathering mission, escalating tensions between the two sides.

In a statement on Monday, Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said the incident occurred on Sunday near Kfar Kila, a town along the Lebanon-Israel border.

“Yesterday, an IDF intelligence-gathering drone was downed in the area of Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon during a routine intelligence-gathering activity,” Shoshani posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“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,” he added.

Following the drone’s downing, the Israeli army said it dropped a grenade near the crash site “to destroy sensitive components” but denied firing directly at UNIFIL personnel.

UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) had earlier confirmed that one of its patrols encountered an Israeli drone flying “aggressively” over its troops on Sunday.

“The peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralize the drone,” UNIFIL said in a statement, condemning what it described as a “disregard for the safety and security of peacekeepers implementing UN Security Council-mandated tasks in southern Lebanon.”

The peacekeeping mission further reported that “moments later, another Israeli drone approached and dropped a grenade,” followed by a tank shell fired toward the patrol.
“Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to UNIFIL peacekeepers and assets,” it added.

The incident comes amid rising tensions along the border despite a ceasefire agreement reached last year between Israel and Hezbollah. The accord stipulated that Israeli forces withdraw from southern Lebanon while Hezbollah redeploys north of the Litani River and dismantles its southern military posts.

According to the deal, only UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army are authorized to operate in southern Lebanon. However, Israel has maintained a presence in five border areas it considers strategically vital.

Under pressure from the United States and amid fears of renewed hostilities, the Lebanese government has reportedly begun efforts to disarm Hezbollah—an initiative the Iran-backed group and its allies have strongly resisted.

Despite the truce, Israeli forces have ramped up air and artillery strikes in recent weeks, with several deadly attacks reported across Lebanon’s southern border region.

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