Conflicting narratives have emerged after United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon shot down an Israeli drone over the weekend, underscoring growing friction along the volatile border as both sides accuse the other of escalating tensions.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Sunday that one of its patrols near the southeastern town of Kfar Kila downed "an Israeli drone" that had approached "in an aggressive manner." The force added that "peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralize the drone."
According to UNIFIL, a second Israeli drone "came close to a UNIFIL patrol operating near Kfar Kila and dropped a grenade." Shortly afterward, "an Israeli tank fired a shot towards the peacekeepers," the mission said. No UN personnel were injured, though the U.N. described the incident as one of the most serious confrontations since the ceasefire that ended Israel's war with Hezbollah last November.
Israel's military disputed the account. Arabic-language military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said Monday that the drone had been engaged in "routine information-gathering and reconnaissance activity" and posed no threat to peacekeepers. "After the drone was shot down, Defense Army forces threw a hand grenade at the area where the drone was downed," Adraee stated on X, formerly Twitter. He emphasized that "no fire was directed at UNIFIL troops."
Beirut-based UN officials described the initial flyover as "aggressive," claiming that it represented a breach of their operational safety. The organization maintains that its peacekeepers responded proportionally in self-defense under its rules of engagement.
The incident comes amid an uptick in Israeli strikes over Lebanon as the fragile ceasefire that ended last year's war faces growing strain. That conflict began the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, when Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas.
Israel's campaign in Lebanon has continued despite mounting diplomatic pressure on the Lebanese government to rein in Hezbollah, which has resisted calls to disarm. According to Israeli figures, the army has struck hundreds of Hezbollah positions since the ceasefire and killed more than 330 of the group's fighters.
UNIFIL, established after Israel's 1978 invasion of southern Lebanon and later expanded following the 2006 war, oversees the ceasefire line between the two sides. The mission's mandate, renewed by the UN Security Council, is set to expire at the end of 2026, after which the force will begin winding down its operations.
