Hezbollah says Israeli drones crashed without being shot

Aug 25, 2019 | 12:19 AM

BEIRUT — Hezbollah said Sunday that two Israeli drones crashed in Beirut overnight without the militant group firing on them.

Spokesman Mohammed Afif said a small, unmanned reconnaissance drone fell on the roof of a building housing Hezbollah’s media office in the Moawwad neighbourhood in Dahyeh, the group’s stronghold in the southern part of the Lebanese capital.

He said a second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first drone less than 45 minutes later, exploded in the air and crashed nearby — a blast heard by residents of the area.

“We did not shoot down or explode any of the drones,” Afif told The Associated Press.

He said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will give the “appropriate” response in a televised appearance later Sunday.

Late Saturday, Israeli warplanes attacked targets near the Syrian capital in what the Israeli military said was a successful effort to thwart an imminent Iranian drone strike on Israel. The late-night airstrike, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense attacks by Israeli forces in several years.

It was not immediately clear if the incidents in Syria and Lebanon were related. There was no immediate Israeli comment on Hezbollah’s remarks.

Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks in recent years targeting Hezbollah and other Iranian targets in Syria. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat and has said it will not tolerate a permanent Iranian presence in Syria or the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.

Iran and Hezbollah are key military allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country’s eight-year-old civil war.

The Associated Press


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