Iran Claims Its Drone Beamed Sensitive Pictures from Israel Before Being Shot Down

You didn’t think it was just the US that loves drones, right? About a month ago, the Israeli military shot down an Iranian drone that has managed to fly about 25 miles into Israeli airspace. The Sunday Times previously reported that said drone transmitted pictures of sensitive Israeli locations before being shot down, and now Iranian leaders claim that did indeed happen.

Along with taking pictures of a joint Israel-US military exercise, the drone may have also taken shots of airfields, ballistic missile sites, main airfields, and the Dimona nuclear installation. In his confirmation that Iran does indeed possess images from the drone, Esmail Kowsari, chair of the Iranian parliament’s defense committee, said, “These aircraft transmit their pictures online, and right now we possess pictures of restricted areas.”

The drone in question was launched by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said previously that it was manufactured in Iran and assembled in Lebanon. That begs an important question of capability: It should come as no surprise that drones can be used for surveillance, but one that can transmit images lives is a big step up from a quadcopter with a Go Pro attached. If Iran is handing out sophisticated drones to third parties, what does it have reserved for itself?

Footage of the Hezbollah-flown drone being shot down

According to an AP report, Iranian Gen. Ahmad Vahidi told an Iranian state news agency that the drone used by Hezbollah was not the “latest Iranian technology, definitely.” While he didn’t elaborate, it does raise the question of what the latest technology could be: more sophisticated surveillance drones with longer range? Drones that can carry weapons?

Of course, we are talking about Iran here, and the country is obviously highly skilled when it comes to strategic bluster. While a drone was indeed shot down over Israel earlier this month, it’s impossible to know how capable it was outside of it being large enough to be shot down by an F-16. Israel, for its part, says the drone did not transmit data, but that’s not exactly a surprising response. And while we don’t know if Iran has the equivalent of a Predator, it does drones capable of penetrating Israeli airspace, which suggests that an Iranian drone development program is up and running. (And why wouldn’t it be?) In any case, Iran supplying Hezbollah with drones is just another sign that the drone war is spreading worldwide.

Follow Derek Mead on Twitter: @derektmead.