Hezbollah fires anti-aircraft missile at Israeli drone over southern Lebanon

Hezbollah fired an anti-aircraft missile at an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon on Thursday, local media reported.

Some reports claimed that the drone was brought down over the southern city of Nabatieh.

An Israeli military spokesman admitted to a missile being fired at an unmanned aircraft from Lebanese territory, but denied that it was hit.

"A short while ago, anti-aircraft fire was detected from Lebanese territory at an IDF unmanned aerial vehicle. The aircraft was not damaged," the army said in a statement.

Hezbollah said that "fighters of the Islamic resistance confronted a hostile drone in southern Lebanon's skies with the appropriate weapons and forced it to leave".

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Last week, an Israeli drone was shot down in southern Lebanon, with Israel admitting the drone's flight was part of "routine operations to secure the border".

On 25 August, two explosive-laden drones were sent to the same area. One of them exploded, sparking a dangerous escalation between Hezbollah and Israel.

Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel fought a month-long war in 2006.

Lebanon and Israel remain technically in a state of war, though the border has been mostly calm since that conflict.

A Lebanese government investigation concluded last month the two Israeli drones were on an attack mission when they crashed in Beirut in August.

Lebanon remains gripped by debilitating protests against governmental corruption and a economic conditions, and Hezbollah and other political groups so far been unable to adequately respond. 

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