Israeli drone crashes off Lebanese port of Tripoli
Lebanese army says the unmanned aircraft came down in the sea, the second such incident in weeks.
An Israeli drone has crashed in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli, a Lebanese military source said, in the second such incident in three weeks.
The source said it had taken “necessary measures” after Saturday morning’s incident, which the Israeli military has refused to comment on.
“Fishermen had the impression a plane was falling down towards their harbour, close to the main port of Tripoli,” said the source, who spoke to the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.
“They alerted the army which has retrieved the aircraft from eight metres under water. It turned out later that it was an Israeli drone,” the source added.
In a statement, the army said the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft crashed at 8.30am local time (05:30 GMT). It published photos that showed the aircraft largely intact in the waters and then on land after it was taken out.
It had a Star of David and Hebrew writing on it.
Israel carried out an air strike in eastern Lebanon in June to destroy one of its drones that had crashed in the mountains outside the village of Saghbine, which is in central Lebanon.
The Israel army frequently sends drones over Lebanon, mostly over towns and villages in the country’s south where the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which went to war with Israel in 2006, is known to operate.