Israeli drone crashes in southern Lebanon: IDF, media

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – An Israeli drone crashed in southern Lebanon overnight, according to the Israeli military and Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV on Saturday.

“An unmanned Israeli spy plane crashes between the villages of Beit Yahoun and Baraachit,” reported al-Manar.

A statement released by the Israeli Defense Forces detailed that the drone went down in an open field, due to a technical malfunction, adding, “The incident is currently being reviewed. There is no risk of leaked information."

Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel fought a war in 2006. The US and Israeli officials charge that Tehran is assisting the group to build factories able to manufacture precision-guided missiles with long-range firing capabilities.

Hezbollah-armed militias joined the Syrian war in 2012 to defend Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and played a key role in helping the Syrian government defeat Syrian rebels and Islamic State (IS) militants.

Hezbollah is a primary player in a coalition of Iran-backed Shia militias that have been sent to Syria from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Iran’s expanding role in Syria has alarmed several regional countries, notably Israel.

In recent years, Israel has carried out multiple air strikes in Syria against Hezbollah and Iranian targets.

Editing by John J. Catherine