The Israeli air force on Saturday shot down a drone of unknown origin in the south of the country, the military said, DPA reported.
Soldiers were searching for the wreckage of the unmanned aircraft that was intercepted over the Negev desert. The military did not comment on where the drone may have been from.
Israel's nuclear plant is situated at Dimona in the northern Negev. The facility is thought to be a centre for atomic weapons manufacture, but the Israel government neither admits nor denies this.
Israel's arch-enemy Iran last month revealed details of a new domestically-produced long-range drone.
The Shahed-129 is capable of carrying missiles and has an operating distance of 2,000 kilometres, according to Tehran.