IDF shoots down drone that penetrated Israeli airspace

October 6, 2012 – ISRAEL – The Israeli Air Force shot down an unidentified aerial vehicle that penetrated Israel’s airspace on Saturday. IDF forces shot down the drone over the Negev, south of Mount Hebron. The IDF said Saturday that the drone arrived in Israel from the west after flying over the Mediterranean and the Gaza Strip. It said the incident is under investigation. After the drone traveled east some 35 miles (56 km) across Israel’s southern Negev desert, the drone was shot down above a forest in an unpopulated area near the border with the West Bank, the IDF spokesperson said. IDF spokesman Yoav Mordechai said Saturday that the IAF tracked the drone “throughout the course of its flight,” maintaining contact with both aerial and ground forces. Fighter jets from the Ramon air force base were dispatched, he said, and after receiving approval they downed the drone over Yatir forest, located in the north-eastern part of the Negev. “It was decided to down the drone over an unpopulated area,” Mordechai said, adding that the IDF views the incident as a successful operation. “The aircraft was identified before entering Israeli airspace and was under constant tracking.” Military forces were sent to recover the drone’s wreckage for further examination. The IDF also said that IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz was briefed on the initial findings. The IDF admitted that the drone flew over Israeli territory for long minutes, but Mordechai insisted it was “much less than half an hour.” This is the fourth time in the past decade such an incident occurs. In the past, small drones penetrated Israel’s airspace from the north. Hamas reportedly showed interest in unmanned aerial vehicles, but it was never confirmed by Israel’s defense industry. However, sources within the security establishment had confirmed in the past that Hezbollah is involved, both financially and logistically, in supporting terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. The IDF said Saturday that it plans on examining the drone’s flight course in attempt to establish its origin. It will also investigate what the drone’s objective was: reconnaissance and intelligence gathering (that also may be used for propaganda) or to target Israeli towns or IDF compounds. –Haaretz