Israel
Unifil shoots down IDF surveillance drone in Lebanon
The force also accused the IDF of dropping a grenade near one of its patrols, which the military is now investigating.
October 27, 2025 10:36
The force also accused the IDF of dropping a grenade near one of its patrols, which the military is now investigating.
October 27, 2025 10:36The UN’s peacekeeping force in Lebanon (Unifil) has shot down an IDF surveillance drone during a routine mission, the military has confirmed.
The IDF insisted that the unmanned aircraft posed no threat to Unifil troops, but the force claimed it had been flown in an “aggressive manner”.
"The peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralize the drone,” a UN statement said.
The IDF later flew another drone over the same area, which dropped a grenade. The army said this was done to prevent unauthorised “suspects” from reaching the downed drone.
However, Unifil claimed that the grenade had fallen close to one of its patrols. It also alleged that an Israeli tank fired towards its observers, a claim the IDF has denied.
An IDF spokesperson said the matter was under investigation “through the military liaison channel”.
It is the latest in a series of disputes between Israel and Unifil, with the latter claiming that the IDF has repeatedly fired upon its forces.
Jerusalem, meanwhile, maintains that Unifil has done little to prevent the build-up of Hezbollah forces or to stop the terror group from violating the terms of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
It comes after the UN Security Council approved the final renewal of Unifil’s mandate in August, reportedly under pressure from the US.
Washington is understood to have blocked the advancement of the motion until it received a commitment that it would be the last such renewal.
The council voted unanimously to “extend for a final time the mandate of Unifil” until December 31, 2026”.
The French-drafted resolution stated that “an orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal” must begin within a year of the mandate’s expiration and called for Israel to withdraw forces north of the so-called Blue Line, the unofficial border between Israel and Lebanon.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun added that he hopes Unifil’s remaining time “will be an opportunity to rescue the Lebanese situation and stabilise the situation on our southern borders”.
However, despite the unanimous vote, some council’s 15 member states expressed dissatisfaction with the winding up of the mandate.
Even as China voted for the resolution, Geng Shuang, Beijing’s deputy UN ambassador, lashed out at the “total disregard of the tensions on the ground,” the “legitimate concerns of Lebanon as a host country,” and “the strong voices of the vast majority of the council members,” he claimed had been shown by Washington.
“This practice of imposing one’s will on others and taking ill-conceived and arbitrary actions is disappointing,” Geng said.
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