"An unmanned aircraft (UAV) was identified approaching the coast of Israel and was successfully intercepted by IAF aircraft five nautical miles off the coast of Haifa at approximately 14:00 (1300 GMT) today," it said.
"I view with great gravity this attempt to violate our border," Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Thursday.
"We will continue to do what is necessary to defend the security of Israel's citizens."
Last October, an Israel missile shot down a UAV sent by the Lebanese group Hezbollah after it flew some 55km into southern Israel.
Israel waged a month-long war on Lebanon in 2006 after a Hezbollah cross-border raid. Since that incident, Israeli aircraft has regularly performed overflights into Lebanese territory.
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