The IDF on Thursday, downed a Hezbollah UAV over northern Israel after it crossed the border from Lebanon, the military spokesperson said.
"The drone was detected and under observation of forces during the entire incident," the IDF said adding Israel will continue to operate in order to prevent "any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty."
Initial investigation revealed the drone belonged to the Hezbollah special forces unit that is expected to take part in infiltrations into Israeli territory should fighting break out.
It was taken down using electronic warfare while on what the IDF believes was an intelligence gathering mission using aerial photography.
On Wednesday, the leader of the Iran backed Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, in a televised speech to followers, said that his organization had been producing UAV's for a long time and that they were available for sale.
Nasrallah also said the Hezbollah group was able to transform standard rockets into precision missiles with the cooperation of "experts from the Islamic Republic of Iran".
Such production, he said was spurred by arch-foe Israel's increased use of drone technology, he said.
There was no immediate Israeli response to Nasrallah's statements.
While the Israeli military outguns Hezbollah guerrillas, Israel worries that in a future war they could use precision-guided missiles to knock out parts of its national infrastructure like ports or power stations.
First published: 18:43, 02.17.22