Yesterday morning, the Lebanese Army downed an Israeli military drone in the Saradah Valley near the southern Lebanese city of Marjayoun. Israeli officials have confirmed that the drone belonged to Israel; however, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces stated that the drone was not downed by the Lebanese Army, but rather, crashed on its own. The drone landed 15 miles away from the “blue line”and was immediately confiscated by a group of Lebanese soldiers.
This is not the first violation of Lebanon’s airspace; Israel has violated the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 on multiple occasions, without any repercussions or acknowledgement. Israeli spy drones have flown numerous reconnoissance missions over southern Lebanon since 2006; this is likely a result of their volatile history with Hezbollah.
A terrorist bombing claimed the lives of 3 Lebanese civilians yesterday at the village of Al-Khreiba in eastern Lebanon. The bombing occurred in conjunction with a Jabhat Al-Nusra attack on a Lebanese military outpost near the ‘Arsal District. According to a military source, no Lebanese soldiers were reportedly killed in the attack by the Al-Nusra Front. After fleeing the scene of the attack, Hezbollah forces from Ba’albak ambushed the Al-Nusra Front contingent, killing 17 and arresting 11 others.
