German peacekeeping warship shoots down drone off Lebanese coast

A German corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein, deployed as part of the United Nation’s peacekeeping operation, shot down a drone off the Lebanese coast on Thursday.   

A spokesman for the German Armed Forces told domestic media that the UNIFIL ship brought down an unmanned drone off the coast at around 7 am local time (6 am CET) Thursday morning. 

None of the crew was hurt, nor was there material damage to the ship, according to the statement. 

The incident was also confirmed by a spokesman from the Federal Foreign Office. 

The unmanned drone was destroyed northwest of the Lebanese city of Nakura, far away from the battleship and well away from the Lebanese coast. It was partially recovered and will be examined. 

Germany’s military currently staffs the warship with 60 crew members as well as 40 further soldiers at the UN headquarters in Nakura. 

UNIFIL’s mission statement is to monitor the ceasefire within the country following the Lebanese war in 2006. UN troops support the Lebanese government to protect the sea borders and prevent weapons smuggling.  

UN soldiers have been attacked several times in Lebanon within the last few days. Some have identified Israeli soldiers as the perpetrators behind the assaults, while others describe an unclear situation in fighting between Israeli and Hezbollah forces. 

Multiple attacks on UN peacekeepers’ posts in southern Lebanon have caused the German military to declare an increased risk situation for forces on the ground. 

These forces “will be minimized as far as possible through appropriate protective measures by the troops” according to a spokesperson from the German army. 

Germany’s UNIFIL mandate primarily revolves around commanding multiple maritime units off of the coast of Lebanon. These forces are commanded out of Nakura. 

In addition to marine operations, German forces support the UN mission by transporting personnel and material.