German UNIFIL warship intercepts drone off Lebanon

A German warship deployed as part of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon has shot down a drone off the Lebanese coast, the German army said Thursday.

"An unidentifiable unmanned aerial vehicle was detected in the vicinity" of the "Ludwigshafen am Rhein" corvette and was "brought down in a controlled manner", an army spokesman said. The drone’s explosive load detonated in the process.

The military said it did not know where the drone came from. The military didn’t specify the location of the ship at the time of the incident.

The Ludwigshafen am Rhein is currently participating in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon. Germany also has soldiers at the mission’s headquarters in Naqoura.