Israel says it shot down an unmanned drone aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea near Haifa.  The drone was most likely the work of Hezbollah militants operating in Lebanon.

Israel’s Air Force detected the intrusion on Thursday afternoon, and sent an F-16 up to intercept it.  The pilot fired an air-to-air missile, which hit its target, sending the remains of the drone into the sea about 10 kilometers off the coast.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed and said, “I see the attempt to breach our borders with unmanned aircraft very seriously.  We will do what needs to be done in order to safeguard our security.”

Last October, another unmanned drone flew over Israel and lingered over several towns before being shot down above Negev. 

Israel Defense Force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz had earlier said that Hezbollah has “a significant number of unmanned aerial vehicles, one of which has entered Israeli territory, a scenario we may encounter in the future.”