Skip to main content

Israel downs drone from Syria over occupied Golan

The Israeli army said it shot down a drone over the Golan Heights on Sunday afternoon
The Golan Heights has seen heavy fighting between Syrian government troops and opposition forces over the weekend (AFP)

Israel downed a drone over the occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, the army said, amid mounting tension on the UN-patrolled armistice line with Syria on the strategic plateau.

Air defences "successfully intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that breached Israel airspace above the border with Syria," an army statement said.

An Israeli army spokesperson told the Associated Press that the drone appeared to belong to the Syrian military and had accidentally flown into Israeli airspace. It was shot down with a Patriot missile. 

The Israeli army "will respond to any breach of Israel's sovereignty," Lt Col Peter Lerner said on Sunday.

Heavy fighting between Syrian government troops and opposition forces flowed into the buffer zone separating Syrian and Israeli-occupied territory at the weekend.

Dozens of Filipino UN peacekeepers escaped the hot zone overnight after rebels rammed their Golan Heights outpost with armed trucks, the Philippine military said.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War of 1967, then annexed it in 1981 in a move that has never been recognised by the international community.

The UN Disengagement Observer Force has been monitoring the ceasefire since 1974.

New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch

Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters

Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.