Israel revealed on Friday that an Iranian drone that entered Israeli airspace in February after launching from an airbase in Syria was carrying explosives. The base was allegedly attacked by Israel on Monday — prompting soaring tensions between Israel and Iran.
The Iranian drone was carrying enough explosives to cause damage, military sources said. Its precise intended target in Israel was not known, they said.
February’s Iranian attack marked an unprecedented direct Iranian attack on Israel. Israel’s acknowledgement of the nature of the drone’s mission “brings the confrontation” between Israel ad Iran “into the open” for the first time, Israel’s Channel 10 news noted.
The alleged Israeli attack this week on the base from which the drone was despatched is understood to have targeted Iran’s entire Syrian base drone weapon system at the base, which was protected by surface-to-air missiles and other defenses, the TV report said.
“This was a harsh blow” to the Iranians, it added. “It is clear they will react.”
A photo released by Iranian media reportedly shows the T-4 air base in central Syria after a missile barrage attributed to Israel on Monday April 9, 2018. (Iranian media)
“An analysis of the flight path and operational and intelligence research performed on parts of the Iranian UAV that entered our territory on February 10 shows it carried explosive material and its mission was to carry out a destructive operation,” the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.
“[The drone’s interception by attack helicopters thwarted the attack and the Iranian intention to carry out an operation on our territory,” it added.
The drone was tracked from Syria and shot down by IAF Apache helicopters 30 seconds after it crossed into Israeli airspace.
The army said that because it tracked the unmanned aerial vehicle throughout its flight, it did not pose any danger while in Israeli airspace.
Immediately after shooting down the Iranian drone on February 10, Israel carried out airstrikes against a number of Iranian targets in Syria, including on the T-4 base in central Syria where the Iranian operator of the drone was located.
During the aerial raids, an Israeli F-16 was downed by a Syrian anti-aircraft battery, crashing to earth in Israel, prompting further Israeli retaliatory raid against Syria’s anti-aircraft systems. Both the Israeli pilots ejected.
In this image made from video provided by Yehunda Pinto, the wreckage of an Israeli F-16 is seen on fire near Harduf, northern Israel, February 10, 2018. (Yehunda Pinto via AP)