German UNIFIL ship downs drone off Lebanese coast

A German Navy warship participating in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has downed a drone off Lebanon's coast, a military spokesman told dpa on Thursday.

The Ludwigshafen am Rhein corvette repelled an approaching drone at around 7 am (0400 GMT), said the spokesman for Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr.

The drone was reportedly brought down in the immediate vicinity of the warship around 30 kilometres north-west of the port of Naqoura, where UNIFIL is headquartered.

The crew managed to recover the drone and is now examining it.

The incident comes amid soaring tensions in Lebanon, where UNIFIL troops have repeatedly come under fire during Israel's ground offensive against the Hezbollah militia.

The peacekeeping force has monitored the border region between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, but at least five of its troops have been injured in clashes in recent days, leading to international condemnation.

UNIFIL said on Wednesday that an Israeli tank fired on one of its watchtowers, after an incident last week that saw tanks forcibly break through the main gate of a UN Base.

Israel accuses fighters from the Iran-backed Hezbollah of using areas near UNIFIL bases for its own purposes and has called for the immediate withdrawal of peacekeepers from the combat zone in southern Lebanon.

More than 10,000 troops from more than 50 countries are currently deployed to UNIFIL.

Germany provided around 60 crew members on board the Ludwigshafen am Rhein, as well as 40 troops at the main headquarters in Naqoura.

The Bundeswehr spokesman said its forces in Lebanon are in an "increased risk situation" and that "appropriate protective measures" are currently being taken.