Downed UAV may have been similar to modified model airplanes that can be built at home, Lebanese paper saysThe drone that penetrated deep into Israeli airspace nearly two weeks ago was manufactured in Germany by Siemens and Bockstiegel, and purchased by a fictitious Iranian company that was a front for IranÂ’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Lebanese newspaper Al-Jumhuriya reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, Siemens manufactured the droneÂ’s camera and remote control parts while Bockstiegel, which produces ships, provided light metal parts.
Last week, HezbollahÂ’s chief Hassan Nasrallah confirmed responsibility for launching the aircraft, which he claimed was made in Iran.
The Lebanese newspaperÂ’s report also stated that Hezbollah possessed a large arsenal of similar UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) whose main purpose was to spy, not attack.
Another article by Al-Jumhuriya quoted an unnamed US Department of Defense official as saying that the UAV was similar to modified model airplanes that can be assembled at home. The source further claimed that the drone was capable of taking pictures but lacked the capacity to relay real-time information back to its handlers – confirming previous statements about the drone by Israeli officials.
In contrast, Iranian officials touted the UAVÂ’s infiltration of Israeli airspace as a demonstrable breakthrough. The Islamic RepublicÂ’s Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said earlier this week that HezbollahÂ’s launch of a drone into Israeli airspace proved Iranian military capabilities.