Israel says intercepts drone approaching from east

Israel’s military said on Friday it had intercepted a UAV approaching from the east, and a Jordanian military source said a drone had crashed inside Jordan, igniting a fire.

“A short while ago, a UAV (drone) that was on its way to Israeli territory from the east was intercepted by the IAF (Israeli air force),” the military said in a statement, without elaborating.

Since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have repeatedly launched drone and missile attacks at Israel, many of which have been intercepted before entering Israeli airspace.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, another pro-Iran group, has also said it was behind a number of attacks targeting Israel since the Gaza war began.

The origin of the drone intercepted on Friday remains unknown, but several Jordanian media outlets reported that Israel’s military had intercepted a Yemeni drone over the Dead Sea.

A Jordanian military source said an unidentified drone breached the country’s airspace and crashed in the Ma’in area of Madaba Governorate, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Amman.

No casualties were reported, but falling debris ignited a fire in the wooded area where it came down.

Jordanian military personnel and civil defense teams extinguished the blaze.