IDF fires Patriot to intercept Hezbollah drone in Golan Heights
Iranian-made intelligence collection UAV tries to infiltrate Israeli airspace through the Golan border, Patriot missile-defense system shoots it down over the buffer zone on the Israeli-Syrian border; Northern Command put on high alert.
The IDF fired a Patriot missile from the Safed area in the Golan Heights on Tuesday to intercept an Iranian-made Hezbollah intelligence collection drone trying to infiltrate Israel's airspace from Syria.
The drone "took off from the Damascus Airport towards the Golan and operated in the buffer zone, without infiltrating Israel," IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said.
The IDF scrambled fighter jets and fired one Patriot missile, shooting the drone down with the missile, Manelis added.
The drone fell near the town of el-Hmidaiah in the Qunaitra area.
"The IDF will not allow the infiltration of Iranian elements, Hezbollah, Shiite militias or global Jihad to the Golan Heights. We will respond and react immediately to any such attempt," the IDF spokesman concluded.
Following the incident, the Northern Command has been put on high alert.
"I want to note the high-level of preparedness of the IDF, which knows how to deal with every surprise, every problem and every threat," Lieberman said during a visit to the Elbit Systems factory in Arad.
"As I've said before: We have no intention of tolerating any threat and any attempt at harming the security of the State of Israel. Anyone who tries to hurt our sovereignty or our security should know he will pay a very steep price for it. We're ready for any scenario on any front," he added.
