Israel’s first two F-35 stealth fighter jets on their maiden flight as part of the Israeli Air Force on December 13, 2016. (Israel Defense Forces)
On March 6, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had intercepted Iranian drones which were carrying weapons to the Palestinian Hamas Movement in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the IDF said that two of the drones were intercepted by F-35I fighter jets outside Israeli airspace in March of 2021.
“The interception of the UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] was carried out prior to them entering Israeli airspace, in coordination with neighboring countries. The UAVs were detected and tracked throughout their flight by ground control units,” the statement reads.
The IDF noted that this was the first time F-35I stealthy fighter jets have been used to take down a drone. At least 30 F-35Is are currently in service with the Israeli Air Force.
Israel’s Channel 12 news reported that a third Iranian drone carrying weapons was downed by the IDF using electronic warfare means.
The IDF didn’t clarify from where these drones were launched or what weapons they were carrying. Furthermore, no footage of the alleged interceptions was released.
This was not the first time Israel has accused Iran of using drones to deliver weapons to its allies. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz accused Iran last November of launching a drone from Syria into Israeli airspace in February of 2018, to ferry explosives to cells in the West Bank.
Iran has not commented on Israel’s claims as of yet. These claims, which came amid reports of a near agreement on the relaunch of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, may be just a pretext by Tel Aviv to escalate its covert war against Tehran.
