Drones from Lebanon penetrate Israel's north, IDF strikes Hezbollah

Israeli fire and rescue services put out a fire caused by a crashed drone in northern Israel.

Smoke rises during an exchange of fire between the IDF and terrorists from the Hezbollah organization on December 16, 2023 (photo credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)
Smoke rises during an exchange of fire between the IDF and terrorists from the Hezbollah organization on December 16, 2023
(photo credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)

Two drones penetrated Israeli territory on Saturday, local and military sources reported. One of the drones was downed, the other crashed and started a fire.

Alarms sounded in Israel's north on Saturday morning indicating the intrusion of hostile aircraft into Israeli airspace.

The Upper Galilee Regional Council later confirmed that a drone was identified in Israel's Hula Valley region.

The drone reportedly crashed in the Margaliot area.

The IDF subsequently released a statement on the event, noting that air defense systems intercepted a drone that had infiltrated into Israeli territory from Lebanon. The IDF also confirmed the the Upper Galilee Regional Council report, stating that a second drone crashed into the Margaliot area.

The IDF responded to the drone infiltrations with artillery fire at targets in Lebanese territory.

 An Israeli artillery unit is stationed near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, October 28, 2023 (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)
An Israeli artillery unit is stationed near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, October 28, 2023 (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)

Crashed drone starts fire

Later, the Israeli Northern District’s fire and rescue services said that the drone that had crashed in the Margaliot area had caused a fire in a local building.

Two firefighting teams subsequently worked to extinguish the blaze, managing to do so as they worked alongside IDF personnel at the scene to search for injured individuals and prevent the fire from spreading to a nearby forest.

IDF strikes at Hezbollah

On Saturday afternoon, the IDF announced that air force jets had struck a series of Hezbollah targets inside Lebanese territory.

IDF strikes Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. December 16, 2023. (Credit: IDF)

The targets hit by the IDF include rocket launch sites and military infrastructure.


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Two suspicious individuals who were operating in a known Hezbollah launch site were also hit, the IDF added.