Israel shoots down drone

An image released by the Israeli Defense Forces shows the downing of a drone that entered Israeli airspace in southern Israel today.

Israeli jets scrambled to intercept a drone that crossed into Israeli airspace today, bringing it down over the Negev desert. Military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said Israeli systems on the ground alerted the air force to the drone this morning.

She said it flew over the Gaza strip but did not originate from the Palestinian territory. An investigation is underway to establish were the drone started from.

The Israeli air force shot down a drone after it crossed into southern Israel on Saturday, but it remains unclear where the aircraft came from.

The drone was first spotted above the Mediterranean Sea in the area of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, according to military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich.

Leibovich said it was shot down at about 10 am (0700 GMT), after it travelled east some thirty-five miles across Israel's southern Negev desert. Defence Minister Ehud Barak praised the interception as "sharp and effective".

The Israeli air force has shot down an unmanned drone over the northern Negev desert, according to the Israeli Defence Forces.