Israeli F-15 fighter jet, circa December 2018. Click to see full-size image
On October 29th, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dispatched F-15 fighter jets to intercept an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying over the Gaza Strip.
The military said fighter jets were scrambled when the aircraft was detected and they shot it down.
“An unmanned aircraft flying was detected flying at an irregular altitude over the Gaza Strip. IDF fighter jets were sent toward it and they intercepted it,” the army said in a statement.
It’s unclear who was operating the drone.
As per Israeli media, the IDF doesn’t usually intercept drones flying over the Gaza Strip, unless they approach the border or fly at especially high altitudes.
The incident came after a series of false alarms around Gaza in which rocket sirens were apparently triggered by Hamas’ training exercises in the coastal enclave. On October 27th, rocket sirens sounded in the community of Kibbutz Erez just north of the Gaza Strip in a false alarm.
On October 24th, IDF troops unnecessarily fired at least two Iron Dome interceptor missiles, apparently after misidentifying two rocket launches from the Gaza Strip that were directed out to sea as heading toward Israel.
In the previous week, Israeli forces reportedly downed another drone that flew near the border fence along the Gaza Strip.
In September, Israel said a drone from Gaza dropped explosives on an army vehicle near the perimeter fence dividing Gaza from Israel. No militant group claimed responsibility. The military hit several Hamas-affiliated targets in response.
Earlier, Israeli Channel 12 reported that the IDF was readjusting its posture in anticipation of a possible cruise missile or suicide drone attack from Iran.
The attack was reportedly supposed to be launched from a location that had not previously been used to target Israel.
Furthermore, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for increasing funding for the IDF, claiming that an attack from Iran is incoming and that protection from drones and cruise missiles needs to be improved.
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Increasing funding for IDF? Sure, Trump likes that so do American tax payers haha
So its cheaper to scramble IAF and spent AAM´s than to shoot a Iron Dome at it? Or was the Iron Dome “not available due to scheduled maintenance”?
too high in the air -if it comes in at a lower altitude there is no way the uav will be detected and then can proceed undetected all the way to tel aviv and knesset and netanyahu’s abode to make that a short shrift.
there is something seriously wrong with humanity when it allows israel to continue its existence since israel shames the world no ond.
The nose is tightening there toronto tonto, klove and light and jacob wuhl, time to leave your flats in Tel-Aviv and go back to New York.