Beirut, Nov 2 (IANS): The Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group on Thursday claimed to have shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile amid simmering cross-border tensions in the wake of the raging war in Gaza.

Hezbollah claimed it hit the drone "directly" with the surface-to-air missile as it flew between the border villages of Al-Malikiyah and Hunin, reports CNN.

Although the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the Hezbollah missile launch, it however denied any damage was inflicted on its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

In a statement, the IDF said it “struck the terrorist cell that fired the missile and the launch site” in response.

A “number of launches” from Lebanon toward northern Israel also fell in open areas, the IDF added.

IDF artillery “struck the source of the launches in response”, the statement said.

This is the second time in a week that Hezbollah claimed to shoot down an Israeli drone.

Escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border began when Hezbollah fired multiple rockets on October 8 toward Israeli military sites in support of the Hamas's surprise attack on the Jewish nation on October 7.

In response, the Israeli forces fired heavy artillery on southeastern Lebanon on the same day.