An Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli airforce pilots at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel December 29, 2016.. (photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
On March 7, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) declassified footage showing the interception of two alleged Iranian drones carrying weapons.
The drones were shot down by F-35i fighter jets from the Israeli Air Force’s 140th Golden Eagle Squadron and 116th Lions of the South Squadron outside Israel airspace on 15 March 2021. This was the first time F-35is have been used to take down a drone. The incident was only made public very recently.
“The interceptions of the UAVs were carried out prior to them entering Israeli airspace in coordination with neighboring countries,” the military said in a statement released on March 6, without naming the countries due to security concerns.
According to the IDF, the two drones were on a secret mission to deliver weapons to the Hamas Movement in the Gaza Strip.
The military said that the drones were of the Shahed-197 type, an Iranian copy of the US highly-secretive Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel stealthy drone. Using electronic warfare, the Iranian military took control of an RQ-170 and managed to landed intact on 5 December 2011.
The Shahed197 has a flight range of 2,000 kilometers, a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour, and a wingspan of seven meters. The drone can carry a payload of dozens of kilograms, per the IDF.
Photos of the drones’ wreckage released by the IDF show several handguns, ammunition and a number of unidentified vials.
In a handout images from the IDF, the remains of the drones, and a payload of several pistols are seen. pic.twitter.com/IBvvkFoSqy
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 7, 2022
A third Iranian drone carrying weapons was reportedly downed around the same time by the IDF using electronic warfare means.
This was not the first time Israel has accused Iran of using drones to deliver weapons to its allies. Last November Israel accused Iran launching a drone from Syria into Israeli airspace on 10 February of 2018, to ferry explosives to cells in the West Bank. The drone was also a copy of the RQ-170.
The Israeli revelation came amid reports of a near international agreement on the relaunch of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. Tel Aviv appears to be using the incident to mount some pressure on the ongoing nuclear talks.
In what appears to be another attempt to hinder the talks, two officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in an Israeli attack that targeted positions in the suburbs of the Syrian capital, Damascus, on March 7. The guards vowed to make Israel “pay” for the attack.
Decoy drones. Time to send them and keep the jew airforce busy all day long.
Send the gazan just some pistols are very stupid when the gazan already armed with fn f2000, israeli m4, ak103, etc. This more likely just another juice falseflag mission
This fuking Zion are so bad at lying, I mean they can’t do anything about Iran’s nuclear deal so they going to make BS again. “a payload of several pistols are seen” – really yeah I’m rtded fat pig and ofc believe them.
No, what is happening is, they killed 2 of their men in Syria and want to claim and say look Iran send a drone which had fuking a payload of pistols……LMFAO.
Iran: Israel Should Wait for Punishment They aren’t going to play in their hands, the drones are a BS lie that is fake as their so-called “state of Zion”. Iran nuclear deal is close to being signed again and Zion are fuked they can’t do anything about it.
Drones are BS fake story – they killed their troops and Iran can just wait for their Nuclear deal to be signed and fuk the mother of Zion. You can read it in their social media, they aren’t going fuk Zion yet.
It is all about Iran nuclear deal, nothing more.
I only wish that IRAN was carrying WEAPONS to GAZA