The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon says it shot down an Israeli drone that flew over a patrol operating in the south of the country on Sunday, in the latest incident involving the force and Israel's military.

Unifil said the drone was flying in an "aggressive manner" near the border town of Kfar Kila and that peacekeepers applied "necessary defensive countermeasures".

The Israeli military, however, said the drone was carrying out "routine intelligence-gathering activity".

"An initial inquiry suggests that Unifil forces stationed nearby deliberately fired at the drone and downed it. The drone's activity did not pose a threat to Unifil forces," spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani posted on X.