Not a publicity stunt – a real threat

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Hezbollah’s attempt – likely Iranian-backed – to fly an unmanned air system (UAS)  into Israeli air space on Thursday is not a publicity stunt like some of my colleagues clam but a real danger.

This is not the first time the terror organization sends UAS into Israel. All of them were shot down by the Israeli air force.

The air force’s swift reaction is a result of some operational changes made after the previous attempts.

The Israeli navy is now trying to find the debris of the small UAS in the Mediterranean Sea, and the IDF will seek to answer questions such as: What type of drone was involved? Did it manage to record video footage, and could it transmit any of that footage to a base station in Lebanon in real time?

When gas is being pumped from the sea bed to the Israel shore UAS entering the Israeli airspace are no more a publicity stunt but a real danger.

Every such attempt helps the Iranian backed terror organization to improve its aerial unmanned capabilities. These so far may seem primitive but they may be the rehearsal for a more serious attempt

And another fact must be taken into account. Iran is transferring know how to Gaza to enable the terror organizations there to build basic unmanned air systems (UAS)

Two development sites were destroyed a few weeks ago by Israel .

In the first stages of Pillar of Defene operation in Gaza , the Israeli air force (IAF) has used very accurate intelligence and destroyed a warehouse in which the Hamas has been developing UAS.

A later air strike destroyed an airstrip in Gaza that was used for testing some prototypes of these UAS

Israeli sources say that there are signs that  Iran is behind the UAV effort .

The Iranian industry has been involved in developing some types of UAV.

Some of these have been transferred to Lebanon where the Hizbulah terror organization that gets its orders from Teheran , has used to try and fly over Israel.

The UAS was launched by the Hizbulah in Lebanon , flew over the Mediterranean and entered the Israeli airspace after flying over Gaza.

In 2006 the IAF has shot down an Iranian made Ababil UAV that was operated by the Hizbulah terror organization as part of the fighting on the Israeli-Lebanese border. The Ababil  was detected near the border and an F-16 shot it down. Its debris fell into the Mediterranean.

Since a similar occurrence in November 2004 the IAF has operated special sensors that improved its capability to detect UAV’s trying to enter the Israeli airspace.