Serbia strikes down drone near Kosovo: army

Serbia's army said on Wednesday it had struck down a drone flying near its military sites in the southwest of the country near Kosovo.

"The drone, which was flying from the Kopaonik mountain [on the border with Kosovo] towards military establishments, was taken down with electronic jamming measures," the defence ministry said.

The ministry identified it as a "commercial drone" but did not specify its origin.

It said the army would continue to bring down drones operating in a no-fly zone on the Serbia-Kosovo border.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the Balkan neighbours, after Kosovo vowed to gradually implement a requirement for Serb minority drivers to switch to Kosovar car registration plates.

The demand to change from Serbian plates sparked an outbreak of violence in July.

Belgrade has never recognised the independence proclaimed by majority Albanian Kosovo in 2008.

The 1998–99 war between ethnic Albanian guerrilla and Serbian forces left around 13,000 people dead, mostly ethnic Albanians.