A German warship operating as part of the United Nations’ UNIFIL peacekeeping mission shot down a drone off the coast of Lebanon on Thursday, the German defense ministry told Reuters, as unease builds over the safety of the UN troops in the country.
UNIFIL positions have come under fire in Lebanon since Israel launched a ground operation against Hezbollah militants on Oct. 1, raising alarm among European governments participating in the mission.
“The corvette brought an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into the water in a controlled crash,” the spokesperson said, reporting no damage to the German vessel or its crew.
The corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein is continuing its duties, he added.
A spokesperson for the Bundeswehr military’s joint operations command said the object of unknown origin was targeted by defence systems.
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said on X that a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) had approached one of its ships off the southern Lebanon coast earlier on Thursday. “In accordance with procedure, electronic countermeasures were used and the UAV fell and exploded on its own. We are looking into the matter,” he said.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the incident.
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