Iran Claims 'Dozens' of Its Drones Reached Israel
October 17, 2012
AP - A senior
Iranian military official claimed Tuesday that Iranian-made surveillance drones have made dozens of apparently undetected flights into
Israeli airspace from
Lebanon in recent years to probe air defenses and collect reconnaissance data. An Israeli official rejected the account.
The
Iranian official declined to give further details on the purported
missions or the capabilities of the drones, including whether they were
similar to the unmanned aircraft launched last week by Lebanon's Hezbollah
and downed by Israeli warplanes. It also was impossible to
independently verify the claims from the official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The Iranian assertions appear to be part of the Islamic Republic's
widening strategy to boast about military advances — including warships
and longer-range drones — that Tehran says could reorder the balance of
power in the region as the West and its allies boost pressure over
Iran's nuclear ambitions. Iran's leaders also seek to portray Israel as vulnerable to Tehran and its proxies.
But
an Israeli security official rejected the Iranian claims, saying last
week's interception of a drone was the first time such an infiltration
had occurred. He said Israel spotted the unmanned aircraft well before
it entered Israeli airspace, determined it was not "dangerous" and then
shot it down over uninhabited desert according to plan. The official
spoke on condition of anonymity because an Israeli military
investigation is still under way.
The Iranian official claimed
drones made by the Islamic Republic have made "dozens of flights over
Israel" since the summer 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. He said
Israeli defenses had been unable to detect the surveillance craft.
"The
one that was shot down last week was not the first and will not be the
last to fly into Israeli airspace," the official said.
Iran
has often used its military moves to send messages to Israel and the
U.S., which has key bases in Gulf Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Tehran last year sent warships into the Mediterranean Sea for the first
time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Last month, Iranian military
leaders gave details of a new long-range drone and tested fired four
anti-ship missiles just before U.S.-led naval drills in the Gulf.
At
the time, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander, Gen. Amir Ali
Hajizadeh, also warned that U.S. bases in the Gulf could face
retaliatory strikes if Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites.
On
Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Rahmin Mehmanparast
described Iran's military developments, including drones and missiles
capable of reaching Israel, as a safeguard against a possible Israeli
attack on nuclear sites.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu
last month urged the international community to set a "red line" on
Iran's uranium enrichment, which the West and its allies fear could lead
to the development of atomic weapons. Iran says its nuclear efforts are
only for energy and research.
"Basically, the possibility of a
war breaking out increases when countries don't have the might to defend
themselves. But when countries are powerful ... the possibility of
aggression decreases," Mehmanparast told reporters.
A
member of the Iranian parliament, Abbas Ali Mansouri, said the drone's
flight also showed Hezbollah's growing battlefield capabilities as
Tehran's main client militia. Hezbollah could take an even higher
profile for Iran if Syrian rebels oust Bashar Assad's regime in
Damascus, another critical ally for the Islamic Republic.
"It's crucial that Hezbollah is able to gather remarkable intelligence from inside Israel," he said.
At
the United Nations, Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosnor called Assad,
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad a "trio of terror."
The
Hezbollah drone flight took place a month after Iran unveiled a new
long-range unmanned aircraft, which has been described by military
officials as a key strategic addition to Iran's military capabilities
with the ability to carry out reconnaissance missions or be armed with
"bombs and missiles."
The
Shahed-129, or Witness-129, has a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250
miles) that can stay aloft for 24 hours, Iranian officials say.
But
it's unclear whether the new drone contains any elements of an U.S.
RQ-170 Sentinel drone that went down in eastern Iran in December. Iran
said it has recovered data from the American unmanned aircraft and
claimed it was building its own replica.
Iran
frequently makes announcements about its strides in military
technology, but it is virtually impossible to independently determine
the actual capabilities or combat worthiness of the weapons Iran is
producing.
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