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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Drone Shot Down By IDF Was Iranian |
| 2014-09-03 |
| [IsraelTimes] A drone downed by the Israeli military over the country's northern border on Sunday was an Iranian "Yasir" UAV, officials said Monday night, according to Channel 2. The aircraft was reportedly shot down by a Patriot missile and later recovered by security forces. Channel 2 said the drone, first introduced in September 2013, has a range of 200 kilometers (125 miles) and can fly at an altitude of 1.5km (1 mile) for approximately 8 hours without refuelling. The unmanned aircraft entered the country from Syria on Sunday near an area that has seen heavy festivities between Syrian troops and rebels forces, the IDF said. The drone was hit with a Patriot missile as it flew near Quneitra, the Syrian town that has been the stage for fighting between rebels and regime forces in recent days. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon praised the army's swift response, which he said was "admirable," and warned that Israel would not tolerate any attacks on its troops, "whether intentional or unintentional." There have been several cases of cross-border fire from the Syrian fighting over the past several days, with the Israeli army hitting back in some cases. Israel has shot down a number of drones sent into the country over the past years. Last month, during Operation Protective Edge, an unmanned aircraft launched from the Gazoo Strip was shot down by Israel as it penetrated Israeli airspace over the coast near Ashdod. The drone set off air raid sirens in the city before it was downed by a Patriot surface-to-air missile launched from a location near the center of the country. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |