Hezbollah claims to have shot down Israeli drone in Lebanese airspace

Iran-backed armed group and political party holds significant sway in Lebanon

Hezbollah members take part in a military exercise in Aaramta, Lebanon. Reuters

An explosion as the armed group stages a mock cross-border raid into Israel. AFP

Fighters on motorbikes at the show of strength on Resistance and Liberation Day, which commemorates an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. AP

Fighters leapt through rings of fire. AP

The show of strength was the largest that Hezbollah has staged. EPA

Hundreds of masked fighters at the media event. Reuters

Hezbollah said the aim was to show its 'complete readiness to confront any aggression'. AFP

Light and heavy weapons and vehicles, including anti-aircraft weapons and these rocket launchers, were on display. EPA

Onlookers take pictures of the fighters. AFP

Hezbollah's conflict with Israel has been largely frozen since they fought the deadly conflict of 2006. AP

Israel continues to regularly hit targets related to Hezbollah and Iran in neighbouring Syria. AFP

Israel blamed Hamas, the Palestinian political party and armed group, for cross-border exchanges in April. Reuters

Hezbollah said it shot down an Israeli drone which entered Lebanese airspace on Monday.

In a short statement shared with The National, the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group and political party said the drone was destroyed near the town of Zibqin in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military also said: “A short while ago, an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory during routine activity.”

Hezbollah is a powerful, heavily armed Shiite group in Lebanon and holds significant sway in the country. One of its main strongholds is in southern Lebanon.

It is a sworn enemy of Israel. The two sides fought a deadly month-long war against each other in 2006, but have largely refrained from hostilities since then. Hezbollah was the only militia from the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war allowed to keep its weapons.

Israel shot down three unarmed Hezbollah drones last summer that were heading towards a contested gasfield.

Last month, Hezbollah made a show of force by staging a large-scale military manoeuvre in the south of the country.

Hezbollah was founded in the 1980s largely in response to Israel's presence in southern Lebanon. As well as its armed wing, it also holds a number of seats in the Lebanese parliament.