The U.S. military used a laser Thursday to shoot down a “seemingly threatening” drone flying near the U.S.-Mexico border. It turned out the drone belonged to Customs and Border Protection, lawmakers said.

The Pentagon, CBP and the FAA said in a statement that the military mitigated "a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace."

A US military laser system shot down a drone near the US-Mexico border on Thursday, only for it to emerge that the aircraft belonged to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), prompting a swift closure of airspace and renewed political criticism.

The U.S. military shot down a government drone with a laser-based anti-drone system, causing the FAA to bar flights near Fort Hancock, Texas, sources told Reuters.

Lasers and microwave weapons are in demand for defense across the globe, as they kill drones by using either burning hot beams or electromagnetic force fields.

The U.S. military accidentally used a "laser-based" anti-drone system to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone Thursday night in Texas, lawmakers say.

Security officials say easy access by guerrilla groups to commercial drones, cheaply modified into deadly weapons, has put the nation’s army on its heels.

BERLIN, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Germany's parliament on Thursday voted to give the armed forces broader powers to intercept or shoot down drones, responding to a surge in sightings since Russia began its war against Ukraine.

After the latest wave of US-Israel strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, Iran responded with missile and drone attacks across the region, highlighting the scale of its arsenal.