Hezbollah: Israeli drones over Lebanon will be downed

BEIRUT — The leader of Lebanon’s Iranbacked Hezbollah said Sunday that his group will confront and shoot down any Israeli drones that enter Lebanese airspace from now on, raising the potential for conflict amid heightened regional tensions.

Hassan Nasrallah also vowed to retaliate to an Israeli airstrike inside Syria that took place hours earlier, which he said killed two Hezbollah members.

Nasrallah’s speech came after one alleged Israeli drone crashed in a Hezbollah stronghold in south Beirut, landing on the roof of a building that houses Hezbollah’s media office, while another exploded and crashed in a plot behind the building, causing material damage, authorities said.

A Hezbollah spokesman said earlier Sunday that the group did not fire on any of the drones. He said the second drone was likely armed, judging by the damage it caused.

Nasrallah said one of the drones had been flying low among buildings, calling it a “a clear aggression.”

But Nasrallah said the strikes actually hit a Hezbollah rest house, marking a rare acknowledgment of member deaths in Syria by Israeli strikes.

“I tell Israeli soldiers on the border (with Lebanon) to be cautious and wait. Maybe in a day or two or three or four do not think for a moment that Hezbollah will allow such matters to pass,” he added.

The downed drones and cross-border airstrikes come amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran.

Israeli aircraft continued to violate Lebanese airspace Sunday, flying low over Beirut hours after the drones crashed.