Israel shoots down drone from Lebanon: Israeli military

[oberliner]

An Israeli fighter plane shot down a drone from Lebanon over the Mediterranean sea on Thursday as it was approaching the Israeli coast, the military said.

"I view with great gravity this attempt to violate our border. We will continue to do what is necessary to defend the security of Israel's citizens," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

The military said the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was detected in Lebanese skies and intercepted by a F-16 fighter jet some five nautical miles from the Israeli port city of Haifa.

The Israeli navy was searching for the wreckage in the sea, a statement said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/25/us-israel-lebanon-drone-idUSBRE93O0NU20130425

[azurnoir]

1. actually Israel admits they really don't know where it's from

from the OP article

The military said the drone shot down on Thursday was detected in Lebanese skies and intercepted by an F-16 fighter jet 5 nautical miles west of the Israeli port city of Haifa.

A military spokesman said the unmanned aircraft had been flying at an altitude of about 6,000 feet and had been monitored by Israel for about an hour before it was destroyed by an air-to-air missile.

"We don't know where the aircraft was coming from and we don't know where it was actually going," the spokesman said.

wonder if the wreckage will have made in Iran and insert Syrian chemical weapons here stamped on it

[Scootaloo]

2. It'll have Mahmoud Abbas' dubstep mixtape in the tape deck too, no doubt

[azurnoir]

11. well speaking for myself

I'd definitely prefer a video for that one, especially if he does robot moves, geez on second thought he might be good at it

[oberliner]

4. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the drone

See post below.

[azurnoir]

5. The evidence or article posted below is from 10/2012 :)

[Jefferson23]

6. hee hee...it does not count? n/t

[azurnoir]

7. well if they did it once they'll do it...........

isn't that the usual trope?

[Jefferson23]

8. pretty much and it worked here in this thread. n/t

[azurnoir]

9. well

the headline had me for a minute, I thought it was today until I looked at the story and the date

[Jefferson23]

10. No need to blush, I inadvertently posted an OP that was old recently, had no idea until

another poster alerted...this one I posted intentionally.

I was not out to snag anyone per say, but the related older stories are interesting as
well as the responses.

[azurnoir]

14. ya know what's really kind of sad ?

That it happens so easily

[Progressive dog]

28. Now that was a little bit cynical

but funny.

[azurnoir]

29. well not so much maybe

Israeli assessment: Iran behind downed drone

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4372826,00.html

[Progressive dog]

30. can't argue with that

[Jefferson23]

3. Hezbollah chief claims responsibility for drone that entered Israeli airspace

Nasrallah says drone aircraft flew over 'sensitive installations' and was shot down near the Dimona nuclear reactor.
By Reuters | Oct.11, 2012 | 8:01 PM

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday claimed responsibility for a drone that was shot down by Israel after it had entered its airspace last week.

Israeli officials had previously hinted that the drone might have been the work of the Shiite movement, which is believed to have advanced Iranian weapons and has sent drones over Israel in the past.

Nasrallah said on Thursday the drone aircraft which his group sent into Israel was shot down near the Dimona nuclear reactor.

"The drone flew over sensitive installations inside southern Palestine," he said in a televised speech.


"The Resistance in Lebanon (Hezbollah) sent a sophisticated reconnaissance drone from Lebanon toward the [Mediterranean] Sea ... before it entered [Israeli airspace] and hovered over many important locations before it was discovered by the Israeli air force," Nasrallah said in a televised speech on the movement's al-Manar television.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hezbollah-chief-claims-responsibility-for-drone-that-entered-israeli-airspace-1.469509

[Mosby]

12. more info

http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-shoots-down-hezbollah-drone-near-haifa/

[Jefferson23]

13. Iran likely behind drone that Israel intercepted opposite Haifa coast

Netanyahu and the IDF Spokesman were fast to condemn the launch of the drone from Lebanon, but chose not to name Hezbollah as the culprit.

By Amos Harel | Apr.26, 2013 | 7:01 PM

A reexamination of Israeli declarations after the interception of the unmanned aircraft sent from Lebanon on Thursday reveals an interesting fact: All Israeli statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, whether on camera or written, omit one important issue - who actually launched the drone. The media added the names of the usual suspects: Hezbollah, and in some of the reports, Iran.

The omission of those responsible for the launch of the drone from the official statements on Thursday is probably not coincidental. Netanyahu and the IDF spokesperson talked of "an unmanned aircraft launched from Lebanon," without naming the guilty party. The prime minister even deviated from his usual custom of threatening an Israeli response to the breach of its sovereignty (the drone was shot down above Israeli territorial waters, ten kilometers west of Haifa and the prime minister's helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in the north of Israel, until the threat passed). This time, Netanyahu saw it fit to say only that that Israel "views the attempt to breach our borders as very grave."

Despite the lack of official explanations to the wording of Thursday's statements, it seems that those responsible for the launching of the drone were the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon. Iran has a long list of grievances with Israel: not only does it consider Israel to be behind the assassinations of the nuclear scientists in Tehran and the cyber attacks on their nuclear program, it has added a relatively new accusation concerning the assassination of the commander of the al-Quds regiment of the Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon, near the Syrian border last month. The reliability of this accusation is yet unclear; some reports attributed the assassination to the Syrian opposition.

The launching of the last drone from Lebanon, in October 2012, was eventually believed to be an act by the Revolutionary Guards with Hezbollah as the host, in Lebanon. In that operation, which was defined as a success by Hezbollah and Iran, the drone was intercepted in the north of the Negev after flying in Israeli skies for nearly half an hour. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed responsibility for the launch, but admitted it was an Iranian-produced drone. One can assume Hezbollah filled the same role this time as well. Still, since the drone was shot down in an early stage, before it actually flew over Israeli territory, Hezbollah and Iran remained silent in the aftermath. Sources in Lebanon on Thursday even went as far as to deny involvement in the operation.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/iran-likely-behind-drone-that-israel-intercepted-opposite-haifa-coast.premium-1.517811

[azurnoir]

15. Quelle surprise

[Jefferson23]

19. lol

[Alamuti Lotus]

16. Israeli planes violate Lebanon's airspace

Command Guidance Directorate issued the following communiqué:" On Thursday 25/4/2013 at 10:15 a.m., eight Israeli war planes violated Lebanese air-space from above Kfarkilla village, executed circular flight over various Lebanese regions; and then left at 12:10 p.m. from above Nakoura village.

And at 12:00 noon, three Israeli drones violated Lebanese air-space and executed circular flight over Shouf, South, Western Bekaa, Riyak, Baalbeck and Hermel regions; and then left at 1:35 p.m. towards the occupied territories."

http://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/show-news/8250/Israeli-planes-violate-Lebanon-39-airspace

[sabbat hunter]

17. interesting

that no one other than the news agency of the Lebanese government is reporting this. Not even Al Jazeera.

I would not put it past Hizbullah to use their influence within the Lebanese government to put out a false story.

[azurnoir]

18. why? is it 'unusual'?

Israeli warplanes fly over Lebanon 02/01/13

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/01/israeli-warplanes-violate-lebanese-airspace

Lebanon troops fire at 4 Israeli warplanes flying overhead 2/14/13

http://www.haaretz.com/news/lebanon-troops-fire-at-4-israeli-warplanes-flying-overhead-1.265991

Israeli jets fly mock raids over south Lebanon 10/07/12

http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-jets-fly-mock-raids-over-south-lebanon-181021425.html

[sabbat hunter]

20. no it is not unusual

but if you notice, those stories were reported by news sources other than the official news agency of the lebanese government. Once it is confirmed by other sources I will believe it. Until then....

[azurnoir]

24. ah so it's lying Lebanese or something well okay then n/t

[sabbat hunter]

26. I want it verified plain and simple

do you always believe all stories that have only one source that is unverified?

[Alamuti Lotus]

21. this if a fairly routine occurrence; your confusion seems to be of calculated obtuseness *nt

[sabbat hunter]

22. as I said

I will believe it when it is verified by something other than the official news agency of Lebanon.

[Alamuti Lotus]

23. and if was first mentioned by some private agency..

somebody would say that you wouldn't believe it until it was verified by something official. I am familiar with these tactics, been around here a while..

[sabbat hunter]

25. I always want

things verified. A single source on anything is not considered by most to be reliable.

[shira]

27. Funny. You still deny Hezbollah's participation in Syria's civil war.

And here you are with more propaganda.



From 1 day ago...

(Syrian) Refugees claim Hezbollah fighting in Syria:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/04/20134266353798163.html