Israel shoots down drone

An Israeli military naval ship and an Israeli air force helicopter operate off the coast of Haifa , northern Israel, Thursday, April 25, 2013. Israel shot down a drone Thursday as it approached the country's northern coast, the military said. Suspicion immediately fell on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. The incident was likely to raise already heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, a bitter enemy that battled Israel to a stalemate during a monthlong war in 2006. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israel shot down a drone on Thursday as it approached the northern coast, said the military. Suspicion immediately fell on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.

The incident is likely to raise already heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, a bitter enemy that battled Israel to a stalemate during a month-long war in 2006. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in northern Israel at the time of the incident, said he viewed the infiltration attempt with “utmost gravity”.

“We will continue to do everything necessary in order to protect the security of the citizens of Israel,” he said. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said the unmanned aircraft was detected as it was flying over Lebanon .