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IDF places missile battery near Haifa
The Israel Air Force on Sunday positioned a battery of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles in the Haifa Bay area, in order to intercept any Hezbollah-operated drones launched from Lebanon. The decision to place the battery was reached after a Hezbollah drone invaded Israeli airspace over the town of Nahariya last month. The Iranian-made drone managed to fly in Israeli skies for about 15 minutes, undetected by the IDF's anti aircraft forces. Initially, IDF officials interpreted the incident as a Hezbollah muscle flex. Later, however, IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said that such a drone could theoretically carry 50 kilograms of explosives, and could be used to attack targets in Israel. The new Patriot missile battery is meant to facilitate the detection and destruction of any drone in the future, in the event Hezbollah decided to launch one. Posted by: Fred 2004-12-05 |
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