An Israel Air Force unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed Sunday during an operational flight over northern Israel, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Monday, citing military sources.

The report did not disclose the type of craft, allowing only that it was one of the most advanced in the IAF's fleet and was possibly en route to Lebanon.

A military spokesman confirmed the report, saying that the drone crashed due to an engine malfunction.

"The craft was successfully landed in an open field and technical crews will work on it," the spokesman told Xinhua.

Last week, a Sky Rider, a miniature UAV used for collecting tactical intelligence, crashed near the West Bank city of Nablus. Military search teams found the craft intact, after it landed on an air bag designed to absorb a hit.

In January, an Eitan, also known as the Heron TP, the IAF's flagship reconnaissance drone, crashed shortly after it took off from the Tel Nof Airbase on a flight to test a new payload.

The IAF declined to provide details of the incident, but local media reported at the time that one of the drone's wings broke off due to a particularly heavy payload of cameras and radars.

The Eitan, manufactured by the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries at an estimated cost of 35 million U.S. dollars per unit and operated by the IAF's 210th Squadron, is primarily used for long-range surveillance and aerial refueling. According to independent experts, it is also capable of carrying missiles and other armaments to strike targets far beyond Israel's borders, even as far away as Iran.

Pilotless aircraft that pack the latest technology presently shoulder the bulk of the IAF's reconnaissance missions, logging more flight hours annually than all of its manned aircraft combined.

In recent years, these aircraft are regularly tasked with overflying the Gaza Strip to hunt for Palestinians rocket launching squads, lead helicopter gunships and artillery to the locations of hidden arms caches and are also reportedly involved in the targeted killings of militants.