Israel revealed on Friday that an Iranian drone shot down in Israeli airspace in February after launching from an airbase in Syria was carrying explosives. The base was attacked on Monday, allegedly by Israel, in a strike that reportedly targeted Iran’s entire attack drone weapons system — prompting soaring tensions between Israel and Iran.
The Iranian drone shot down in February was carrying enough explosives to cause damage, military sources said. Its precise intended target in Israel was not known, they said.
The February incident marked an unprecedented direct Iranian attack on Israel. Israel’s acknowledgement of the nature of the drone’s mission “brings the confrontation” between Israel and Iran “into the open” for the first time, Israel’s Channel 10 news noted Friday.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a speech on Holocaust Remembrance Day this week to warn Iran: “Don’t test the resolve of the State of Israel.”
Iranian officials, for their part, have been vowing a response to the Monday airstrike, and an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader on Thursday threatened Israel with destruction.
The alleged Israeli attack this week on the base from which the drone was despatched is understood to have targeted Iran’s entire drone weapons system at the Syrian base, which was protected by surface-to-air missiles and other defenses, the TV report said.
“This was a harsh blow” to the Iranians, it added. “It is clear they will react.”
“An analysis of the flight path and operational and intelligence research performed on parts of the Iranian UAV that entered our territory on February 10 shows it carried explosive material and its mission was to carry out a destructive operation,” the Israel Defense Forces revealed Friday.
“The drone’s interception by attack helicopters thwarted the attack and the Iranian intention to carry out an operation on our territory,” it added.
The drone was tracked from Syria and shot down by IAF Apache helicopters 30 seconds after it crossed into Israeli airspace.
The army said that because it tracked the unmanned aerial vehicle throughout its flight, it did not pose any danger while in Israeli airspace.
Immediately after shooting down the Iranian drone on February 10, Israel carried out airstrikes against a number of Iranian targets in Syria, including on the T-4 base in central Syria where the Iranian operator of the drone was located.
During the aerial raids, an Israeli F-16 was downed by a Syrian anti-aircraft battery, crashing to earth in Israel, prompting further Israeli retaliatory raid against Syria’s anti-aircraft systems. Both the Israeli pilots ejected.
As the Israeli military explained Friday, the alleged Iranian drone downed in February was tracked by the country's defense systems.
The shots fired from Syrian air defense systems in February prompted a tough response from the Israeli side: it attacked 12 positions in Syria, including eight Syrian airplanes and three anti-aircraft batteries. Commenting on the offense, a military source told Sputnik that the Israeli military believed it had destroyed up to a half of the Syrian Air Defense Forces during the airstrike.
Reacting to the exchange of fire several days after, Syria's Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad vowed that Damascus would down any jet that started an assault on Syria.
Responding to numerous allegations voiced by the United States and Israel, Iran has repeatedly denied having their military presence in Syria, while admitting to having sent advisers in order to help Damascus fight terrorists.
Israel-Iran Tense Relations
The relations between Iran and Israel are one of the tensest among the countries in the Middle East: Iran refuses to recognize the state of Israel and accuses it occupying the Palestinian state.
Tel Aviv, in its turn, claims that Tehran strives to develop nuclear weapons, aimed to threaten and potentially attack Israel. Both countries have repeatedly exchanged accusations and threats toward each other.
In the latest statement from a representative of Iran's supreme leader to the Quds Force — a special forces unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), warned that Iran could destroy Israel if the latter continued "its treacherous existence."
Israel-Syria Relations
Both countries have a rich history of conflicts over the disputed Golan Heights. Israel and Syria have never signed a peace treaty and have repeatedly exchanged fire, with the latest incident occurring in January. At the time, the Syrian forces prevented three Israeli missile attacks. The Syrian authorities accused Israel of cooperating with terrorist groups, adding that Tel Aviv "posed a threat to global security and peace on par with Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra*.
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This just posted on Bibi's FB 4/14/18 1:22pm EST
The Prime Minister of Israel
14 mins ·
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
A year ago, I declared Israel’s full support for President Trump’s decision to take a stand against the use and spread of chemical weapons. President Trump’s resolve and Israel’s support remain unchanged. Early this morning, under American leadership, the United States, France and the United Kingdom demonstrated that their commitment is not limited to proclamations of principle.
It should be clear to President Assad that his reckless efforts to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction, his wanton disregard for international law and his provision of a forward base for Iran and its proxies endanger Syria.
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