TEL AVIV — Hezbollah finally achieved what military sources say has been the group's goal since the start of the Oct. 7 war: shooting down an Israeli aircraft. The Hermes 450 drone downed over southern Lebanon on Monday marked another escalation in the conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border.
The first missile missed the drone, continued its flight and penetrated Israeli airspace, where it was intercepted by the David's Sling missile defense system in northern Israel. A second missile hit its target and brought the drone down.
The Israeli air force immediately bombed the downed drone to prevent it from falling into the hands of Hezbollah and handing the Iran-backed militia a trove of sophisticated technology. It also destroyed the surface-to-air missile battery that launched the two missiles, killing two of its Hezbollah operators.
It was one of the deepest Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war began. The battery was located in the northeastern Lebanese town of Baalbek, a Hezbollah stronghold about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Israel’s border. The area is predominantly Shiite and five of its six representatives in Lebanon's parliament are Hezbollah members. It serves as a logistical hub for the organization with food stores as well as ammunition and weapons depots, including some precision missiles fitted with Iranian technology capable of reaching deep into Israel.
