IDF soldiers fire at civilian plane, mistaking it for drone over West Bank

Israeli troops stationed in the West Bank settlement of Beit El opened fire Thursday night at what they believed was a drone. Residents had reported several unidentified drones in the airspace above the area. Soldiers deployed to respond identified what they thought was a drone and fired at it. No injuries or damage resulted from the shooting.

The supposed drone was actually a civilian aircraft. The flight path for planes approaching Ben Gurion Airport had been shifted eastward that evening, causing the planes to fly lower than usual over Beit El. This unusual flight pattern may have prompted the initial reports from residents. The IDF is investigating whether a police drone was also operating in the area at the time.

The incident occurred as Israeli forces contend with increasing drone attacks in southern Lebanon and northern Israel. Hezbollah has been using first-person view (FPV) drones, many guided by fiber-optic cables, which resist jamming technology. On Wednesday, a 20-year-old soldier named Sgt. Rotem Yanai was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack near the Lebanese border while running to a shelter during a twin drone strike. The second drone in that attack seriously wounded one reservist and moderately wounded another.

Hezbollah has also used rockets and other unmanned aircraft alongside FPV drones, hitting both military and civilian targets. The FPV drones have become an increasingly common weapon in the group's arsenal. Earlier this week, the Kan public broadcaster reported that the army's chief of Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, would travel to the US to purchase equipment to defend against drone attacks. The army told the outlet it had "no budgetary restrictions" on the issue.

The IDF said it would investigate Thursday's shooting incident and determine how the misidentification occurred.