The Israeli army says that one of its drones fell on Lebanese territory, following a reinforcement of its presence on its northern border, near Lebanon.
The drone fell “during IDF operational activity” along the border, the army said in a statement Sunday.
“There is no concern that any information has been leaked,” he said.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the drone crashed after experiencing a technical failure.
Increasing tensions
Tensions have risen along Israel’s border with Syria and Lebanon this week after a fighter from the Iran-backed Lebanese group, Hezbollah, was killed in an apparent Israeli attack on the edge of Damascus.
Israel regularly deploys drones over Lebanon, in particular to monitor the movements of Hezbollah, an opponent of Israel and a heavyweight in Lebanese politics.
During a visit to a military base near the border on Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said “Lebanon and Syria are responsible for what happens in and from their territory.”
“We are not trying to escalate the situation, but whoever wants to try us will see a very strong reaction,” Gantz said, according to a statement from his office.
Israel is technically at war with Lebanon and Syria, and has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian soil to prevent Iran, which supports Damascus, from settling there.
This week, Israel beefed up its troop presence on its northern border in what several Israeli media outlets said was a response to a greater Hezbollah threat.
On Monday, five Iranian-backed fighters were killed in an Israeli missile attack south of the Syrian capital Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor. Hezbollah said that one of its fighters was among the dead.
Israel announced initial reinforcements north on Thursday and additional measures on Friday.
Hours later, he attacked military targets in southern Syria in retaliation for earlier “ammunition” firing at Israel from within Syria.
The army said that by ordering the redistribution it had “elevated its readiness against various potential enemy actions.”
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