- Title: Lebanese army fires at Israeli drones near border
- Date: 28th August 2019
- Summary: ADAISSEH, LEBANON (AUGUST 28, 2019) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) LEBANESE SOLDIERS FIRING ASSAULT RIFLES IN AIR AT WHAT THEY SAID IS ISRAELI DRONE IN LEBANESE AIRSPACE, SOLDIERS LOOKING AT NIGHT SKY VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS DEPLOYED MILITARY VEHICLE PARKED, CIVILIANS GATHERED AROUND
- Embargoed: 11th September 2019 19:21
- Keywords: Lebanon soldiers Israeli drone army personnel national security regional tensions
- Location: ADAISSEH, LEBANON
- City: ADAISSEH, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001AU4W4SN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Lebanese army opened fire at two of three Israeli drones that breached Lebanese airspace on Wednesday (August 28) evening in the south of the country near the Israeli border, and all three returned to Israeli airspace, the army said.
Israeli aircraft regularly enter Lebanese airspace, but this is a rare case of the army targeting one. Beirut has repeatedly complained to the United Nations about Israel, which Lebanon considers an enemy country, breaching its airspace.
A security source told Reuters that troops fired shots from M16 assault rifles. The Lebanese army does not possess air defence systems.
The first drone entered Lebanese airspace at 19:35 over the border village of Adaisseh and returned to Israel after shots were fired, the army statement said.
A second drone returned to Israel without being fired at after entering over Kfar Kila, also a border village. The army then fired at a third one which also returned back to Israel, it said.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun had said on Monday his country had a right to defend itself after two Israeli drones crashed in Beirut southern suburbs, dominated by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, on Sunday.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli strikes had hit a military position belonging to an Irani-backed Palestinian faction in Lebanon's Bekaa valley near the Syrian border.
The Israeli military spokeswoman said it was checking the report.
A witness at the border said the situation was calm following the incident.
(Production: Karamallah Daher, Yara Abi Nader) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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