The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shot down an Iranian-made drone operated by Hezbollah on Tuesday afternoon after it entered the demilitarized zone along the border between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights.
The Israel Air Force’s aerial defence command fired a Patriot missile and destroyed the drone. The remotely piloted vehicle, intended for intelligence gathering missions, was identified as it took off from Damascus International Airport. It then flew to the southwest toward Israel.
When the IDF’s air defence control identified the drone entering the Golan Heights, the IDF decided to shoot it down.
The drone was intercepted by a Patriot missile fired by an anti-aircraft battery located in the Galilee, and fell inside Syrian territory in a region controlled by the Assad regime.
The military said that this was not the first time Hezbollah used intelligence-gathering drones against Israel, but added that this time the drone was unusually close to the Israeli border.
IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis told reporters that the military will not allow terrorist groups to penetrate or come near to Israeli territory, in the air or on the ground, stating: “We will respond to every such attempt”.
