Iran: Israel can expect 100s more UAV infiltrations

By JPOST.COM STAFF

Head of Iran's Basij militia Naqdi says Hezbollah drone infiltration into Israeli airspace reflected only small part of group's arsenal.

Head of Iran's Basij militia Naqdi says Hezbollah drone infiltration into Israeli airspace reflected only small part of group's arsenal.

Israel can expect more drone infiltrations into its airspace in the future, the head of Iran’s Basij militia, Mohammed Reza Naqdi, said on Friday, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

The IAF shot down a small unmanned aerial vehicle as it flew over southern Israel earlier this month, in one of the most flagrant violations of the nation’s airspace in years.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah took credit for sending the aircraft into Israel, saying that it was Iranian-made and was shot down near the Dimona reactor.

“Zionists must expect hundreds of other drones in 25 different models with new flying systems that they won’t know how to confront,” Naqdi told reporters.

He added that the infiltration reflected only a small part of Hezbollah’s capability, and that it had dealt a significant blow to Israel, according to Fars.

A number of senior Iranian officials have already remarked that the move proved Israel’s air defense systems were inadequate.

Iran’s Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said last week that the drone infiltration has “shown the weakness of the Zionist regime’s Iron Dome,” while the deputy coordinator for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Jamaluddin Aberoumand said the incident indicated that the Iron Dome system “does not work and lacks the necessary capacity.”

The Iron Dome system, jointly funded with the United States, is designed to shoot down short-range guerrilla rockets, not slow-flying aircraft.

Former Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora claimed that the UAV that flew over Israel was sent at Iran’s behest, and that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah did not consult with the Lebanese government before sending the drone.

Last week, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon said that Hezbollah’s decision to send the UAV into Israeli airspace could risk stability in Lebanon by prompting Israeli retaliation.