Israel Says Iran Tried to Fly Arms to Hamas Using Drones

Israel accused Iran of trying to use long-range drones to fly small arms to Palestinian militants in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in an evolution in Tehran’s use of unmanned vehicles against its Middle East rival.

Israeli military officials said they used F-35 jet fighters to shoot down two drones launched from Iran in March last year, marking the first time the advanced planes have been used to bring down unmanned vehicles. On Monday, nearly a year after the incident, the Israeli military released video from the F-35s showing the shoot down of the drones and details of the subsequent investigation.

While Israel has accused Iran of using neighboring Syria, Iraq and Lebanon as launchpads for attacks on Israel, this is the first time the military charged Tehran with dispatching drones directly from Iran bound for Israel.

One Israeli military official said Iran appeared to be carrying out trial flights to see if it could successfully use drones to carry weapons and ammunition to Palestinian militants. “We see this as a kind of test,” the official said.

Iranian officials didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Israeli officials said they waited nearly a year to publicize the information on the incidents because of regional sensitivities with its friendly neighbors. The details come as the U.S. and its allies are close to reaching an agreement to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that would free up billions in Iranian money currently frozen by international sanctions.

Israeli officials said Monday that they were worried that Iran might try to use any new money to expand its drone development and use across the region.

“Having more money will definitely accelerate more of both building and proliferation of these arms throughout the Middle East,” the Israeli military official said.

The two drones last year tried to fly into Israel from the east and south, the official said, but were shot down before entering the country. Israeli officials declined to say where the drones were shot down by Israeli pilots, but said they were targeted in coordination with neighboring countries.

The drones are able to fly 1,200 miles and upward of 20 hours, the Israeli military said.

Israeli officials said they recovered small arms and ammunition from the downed drones. They said they were able to trace parts of the drones directly back to Iran’s military industry, but they provided no evidence to support that claim.

Israeli officials said they shot down another Iranian drone last May that was launched from Iraq while the Israeli military was carrying out its most recent large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip. That drone flew over Jordan and Syria before being shot down in northern Israel, the Israeli military said.

Iran and its regional allies have been methodically developing advanced drones that have been used in an array of attacks. 

Last month, the Israeli military said it brought down a drone that flew over the country’s northern border with Lebanon. Hezbollah also said that another one of its drones flew 40 miles into Israel last month and returned safely to Lebanon after carrying out a surveillance mission.