French UN troops in Lebanon jam, chase off drone coming from Israel
This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, on the border with southern Lebanon, shows UN peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) standing with Lebanese soldiers next to destroyed buildings and cars in the southern Lebanese village of Dhayra on Jan. 8, 2026. (Jalaa Marey / AFP via Getty Images)
MILAN – French troops part of the United Nations Interim Force countered a hostile drone in southern Lebanon by deploying French-made jamming rifles that repelled the craft back toward Israel.
Earlier this month, footage circulated on social media showing a group of UNIFIL forces stationed in the southern part of Lebanon pointing a jammer at the sky in an apparent operation against a drone.
The French military command confirmed to Defense News that the personnel shown in the video, filmed by a local resident on Jan. 5, 2026, are French UNIFIL peacekeepers. They were on foot patrol at the time, when a drone began illegally flying over them in the municipality of Meiss Ej Jabal, after which they moved closer to their light armored vehicle.
“In accordance with the rules of engagement and with a constant concern for proportionality and protection of civilians, the patrol carried out a jamming operation, aimed solely at stopping the drone from flying overhead, without causing it to crash, in order to avoid any risk of material damage or bodily harm,” Lt. Laura, a spokeswoman for the French Armed Forces General Staff, said in an emailed response to questions.
