Israel says it downed a drone along its southern coast

Israel says it downed a drone along its southern coast
(Image credit: Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images)

Israel's military says it shot down a drone near the city of Ashdod, along its southern coastline, Monday morning, The Associated Press reports. The event marks the first time Israel has encountered drones since it began its campaign against the Gaza Strip militants last week.

Military officials said the drone came from Gaza but did not reveal what the unmanned aircraft was carrying. According to the military, the drone was shot down mid-flight by a Patriot surface-to-air missile.

Israel began airstrikes against militants last Tuesday, killing 172 Palestinians so far, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. Militants have fired nearly 1,000 rockets at Israel, but the AP reports that there have been no Israeli fatalities thus far. However, "the use of drones with an offensive capacity could potentially inflict significant casualties."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the fighting could last for "a long time." Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has offered American help to restore peace, and U.N. Security Council has called for an Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire.

Explore More

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.