Iran claimed it shot down an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone on Sunday that it said was heading for the Natanz nuclear plant in the center of the country.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement the Israeli pilotless aircraft was a radar-evading, stealth drone whose mission was to spy on Iran’s uranium enrichment activities by flying over the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant.

The ‘Israeli hostile aircraft’ was targeted by a surface-to-air missile, according to the statement given to the state-run Fars News Agency (FNA) on Sunday evening.

“A pilotless Israeli spy plane was shot down after it was traced and intercepted by the IRGC Aerospace Force,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Public Relations Department announced.

“This mischievous attempt once again made the adventurous nature of the Zionist regime more evident and added another black page to the dark record of this fake and warmongering regime, which is full of crimes and wickedness,” the statement continued, adding it “reserves the right of reaction and retaliation for itself.”

The IRGC said its experts were “studying the information and intelligence” of those parts of the drone that were apparently still working. “We are now analyzing the information of this plane,” the IRGC said.

On July 14, 2014, Gaza terrorists sent an unmanned drone flying over Israeli territory. The IDF shot it down with a Patriot missile over the port city of Ashdod. It was the first time a Patriot missile had been launched at a target in Israel in 20 years.

Shortly before 8:30 pm Thursday evening, the Israeli air force identified and successfully intercepted a drone (unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV) flying near the coastal city of Ashkelon.

The IAF shot down the drone with a Patriot surface-to-air missile for the second time this week. Israel’s military last used the Patriot missiles for defense purposes 20 years ago, during the Iraq War.

The Izz a-Din al-Qassam military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization that rules Gaza took responsibility for launching the Ababil (Persian for “swallow”) A1B drone, saying it was sent to “attack a target deep within Israel.”

Ababil is an Iranian-produced UAV developed for tactical reconnaissance, short/medium range attack and as target drones. Blogger David Cenciotti wrote in an article posted on The Aviationist, “The aircraft depicted in the footage released by Hamas carries four AGMs (Air-to-Ground Missiles) even though it is almost impossible to say whether they are real weapons or just mock ups.”

Cenciotti said Hamas claimed on Twitter that its drone had carried out three missions over Israeli military bases and a mission over the defense ministry, “but the fact the drone didn’t use any of the on board weaponry seems to suggest it does not have a real capability to use it. In other words, even if we can’t rule the possibility that Hamas’s drones can use their air-to-surface weapons, it seems that it carries four missiles it can’t fire.”

Three days ago at 6:34 am, the IDF intercepted what journalists initially believed to be another missile.  But what looked like a rocket turned out to be the first drone launched from Gaza, filled with explosives and equipped with a camera. The explosion from that interception, which took place in the south over Ashdod, was heard in central Israel, as far away as the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Shemesh. It triggered air raid sirens, in fact.

Hamas terrorists boasted that they sent the drone to photograph the IDF’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv, the Kiryah, and had received the intelligence they sought.

Hamas has fired at least 105 rockets, missiles and mortar shells at Israel since 3 pm Thursday afternoon – the hour at which the five hour humanitarian cease fire officially ended. At least 85 of the rockets exploded in Israeli territory and 20 were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.

The “cease fire” was respected only by Israel in any event; Hamas shelled the Eshkol Regional Council district about two hours after the start of the period in which a ‘calm’ was to be respected in order to allow Gaza civilians the ability to walk about freely to repair their homes and local infrastructure, and to allow shipments of food to the area.

After Hamas launched its massive battery of attacks, the IDF targeted approximately 30 terror targets in Gaza, including 10 concealed rocket launchers and a weapons factory. The IDF also attacked 11 terrorist tunnels.

An 8-year-old boy in Ashdod was injured by flying shrapnel Monday when a missile exploded at midday in a yard. A car was set afire by the same explosion.

A barrage of six missiles were fired at the port city of Ashdod at 12:30 pm, with four intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system. A third landed near a home in the Ashkelon Coastal region, damaging the house. No one was physically hurt in the attack.

In mid-afternoon, another rocket exploded in the space between two homes in Sderot. Miraculously, no one was physically injured.

Gaza terrorists continue to launch barrages of rockets and missiles at Israel, with the focus of their attacks on Monday morning and afternoon concentrated on the southern regions. A number of other attacks were fired at the coastal city of Ashkelon as well as other areas.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) – also known as a drone – was shot down with a Patriot missile in the early morning hours by IDF forces deployed near Ashdod.

The explosion from the interception was heard as far away as the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Shemesh, in central Israel, readers reported, triggering air raid sirens at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time.

Hamas terrorists later boasted they had sent the drone to photograph shots of the IDF’s Kiryah headquarters in Tel Aviv, and had succeeded in acquiring the intelligence they wanted.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, however, praised the Iron Dome crew that had been alert to the threat and shot down the drone. At a briefing later in the day, Ya’alon pointed to the soldiers’ spotting the drone as an example of the IDF’s “readiness in the face of [their] attempts to harm us in any way they can.”

The IDF spent time this past year drilling precisely for such a scenario, with combat helicopter and fighter jet pilots taking part, according to the Israel Air Force website. Israeli forces are prepared for all types of threats that might face the Jewish State, and have been dishing out a few of their own.

“When Hamas leaders emerge from hiding they will see the extent of the destruction and damage that we have caused their organization, and that will make them regret they entered this round of fighting against Israel,” Ya’alon told reporters.

“We continue to smash Hamas and its infrastructure. They have suffered great damage. We have destroyed weapons factories, tunnels, terrorists’ homes and institutions and we will continue this activity today.”

At 6:34am, we reported a rocket siren over Ashdod.

It’s now been discovered that what the IDF shot down was not a rocket, but an unmanned drone launched from Gaza.

While we don’t yet know the capabilities and range of the drone, it does represent an escalation of Gaza’s capabilities and attempts to attack Israel.

The drone was shot down by a Patriot missile. This was the first time a Patriot has been launched at a target in Israel in 20 years.

Aerial drones are enhancing Israel’s search for three kidnapped teens in Judea and Samaria, according to a report issued today by the IDF Spokesman’s Office.

The report said that soldiers in the IDF’s elite Skylark unit, nicknamed the “Sky Riders,” carry large bags of equipment. In seconds, troops can set up a hidden position, set up television monitors and begin assembling the light-weight drones. At just seven kilograms, the Skylark drones are small, efficient and practically unnoticeable in the air. Equipped with a live video feed, they can fly for up to three hours, at night and in all weather conditions without being detected.

Once the Skylarks are assembled, the forces attach them to elastic cords, pull them back and launch them forward like slingshots. As soldiers guide the aircraft using joysticks, cameras transmit images to the soldiers on the ground. The troops quickly interpret the video and send intelligence to soldiers in the field.

“Since the morning of June 13 [when the operation began], we have been assisting soldiers throughout Judea and Samaria,” says Captain Yochai Varsno, a company commander in the unit. “Our troops play a critical role in the ongoing mission, and we wouldn’t be able to carry out large parts of our operation without them.”

“Skylarks are some of the IDF’s most effective technology,” the IDF spokesman said in a statement. ‘Thanks to the precise intelligence they provide, Israel uses them in almost every major mission. The ongoing search for three kidnapped teens, called Operation Brother’s Keeper, is no exception.”

Enhancing the search for terrorists

Since the recent kidnapping in Judea and Samaria, the Skylark unit has provided valuable information to enhance the search for the three boys. As the drones capture images from above, soldiers on the ground develop a clear picture of terrorist activity and direct forces to suspects on the ground.

“We assist all the forces operating in the area,” Cpt. Varsno explains. “As soon as we identify [a target], we can notify the other forces. When they ask to see a house, we can show them the structure and any movement nearby.”

The main work of the soldiers in the operation is to assist with arrests. At night, the unit takes part in operational activity, enabling troops to arrest terrorists connected to the kidnapping.

“We are spreading our troops [throughout the region], attaching them to units that carry out arrests,” Cpt. Varsno says. “Our work makes sure that no terrorists can escape.”

It has been 13 days since Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Sha’ar and Eyal Yifrach were abducted by Arab terrorists as they hitchhiked home from yeshiva in Gush Etzion to be with their families for the Sabbath, but motivation remains high among the IDF soldiers who search every night for the teens.

There is no word on their whereabouts or condition, but tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers are combing the hills of Judea and Samaria, hunting for the boys and those who abducted them, while trying to make the area safer from now on for those who live there.

The other goal is to neutralize the creeping presence of the Hamas terrorist organization — which publicly states its whole-hearted commitment to Israel’s annihilation and that of its citizens — and which has managed to infilitrate the region over the past several years.

Palestinian Authority lawmaker Khaled Ibrahim was among the 17 PA fugitives who were arrested by IDF soldiers overnight Tuesday in the continuing search.

Ibrahim, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was among those taken into custody during Operation Brother’s Keeper.

The IDF has meanwhile uploaded to YouTube a video from a Skylark drone, showing a paratroopers unit raiding the home of a Hamas terrorist in Beit Awwa, a suburb northwest of Hevron.

Thanks to the operators of the Skylark, the IDF soldiers were able to track down the fugitive as he tried to escape. The drone showed him running to a nearby house where he apparently thought he could hide, and the paratroopers used the data to make the arrest, without resistance.

IDF troops also discovered a cache of weapons in Jenin late Tuesday night, but were forced into clashes there with PA Arabs before confiscating the arms. No injuries were reported.

Iran announced on Monday it has manufactured a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can reach Israel and can carry two 330-pound bombs.

That really sounds scary. It conjures up a scene of a drone infiltrating Israel with two small nuclear bombs that can annihilate the country and bring an Islamic peace to the world. The threat, of course, is intended to strike fear into the hearts of Washington and Jerusalem, who now are expected to shiver in their boots and say “yes” to whatever Iran wants.

There is no proof that this new drone does not exist. Nor is there proof that is does exist.

Let’s assume for a minute the “Fotros” drone really does have a range of 620 miles.

Dr. Eldad Pardo, a Hebrew University expert on Iran, told The Jewish Press Monday, “It is one thing to make a drone that can reach Israel, but it is another thing to have the technological capability to do something with it.”

While not pooh-poohing Iran’s technological ability, Dr. Pardo said a drone needs highly sophisticated electronic systems to be able to do any damage.

He noted, “The drone looks very similar to others. We will have to wait for a few days and see if anyone notices something that would indicate it is a ruse.”

Iran bragged that the new drone “is equipped with state-of-the-art light cameras for reconnaissance.”

Its official media stated, “In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and has attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.”

Dr. Pardo pointed out that Iran also is capable of using Photoshop.

Let’s take a look at some of Iran’s amazing achievements, some of which have been announced one after the other in the past three years.

Most of the regime’s announcements came at a convenient time when it was necessary to counter Israeli and Israeli threats.

Last month, Iran unveiled a supposed suicide combat drone. It did not take long for even amateurs to notice that the nose and tail appeared to be held together by duct tape.

Last January, Iran said it sent a monkey into space but provided no details of when and where the launch took place, if it ever did.

“Before” and “after” flight pictures clearly showed different monkeys. Iran’s Propaganda Ministry quickly came up with an explanation. Someone in its media department simply mixed up a picture of a monkey two years, ago.

How’s that for quick thinking?

Two years ago, Iran claimed it launched a rocket with a mouse, a turtle and worms. Nothing has been heard about that achievement since then, but it would be interesting to know how everyone got along during the ride.

Dr. Pardo said that last November, Iran boasted of a UAV that had the capacity to take off vertically, “but they took the picture from a journal,” he told The Jewish Press. The image of the supposed vertical take-off drone the image looks almost identical to a picture of a drone from a university in Japan.

This past February, Iran released photos of a brand-new stealth fighter, a remarkable feat – until it became clear that it  was only three-quarters of the size of a plane. Furthermore, a photo showed the “stealth fighter” flying over a mountain at the same angle of a stock photo.

In 2008, the media arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released a photo of four missiles being launched. It was an amazing accomplishment. One of the rockets, including its exhaust trail, was exactly like another one of the rockets. If its rocket-producing capability is like its Photoshop capability, Iran really needs a new Propaganda Minister.

In November 2011, Iranian media announced is added two new submarines to its fleet. The following month, the official Fars (or is it Farce?) News Agency reported, “ The Iranian Navy plans to test-fire a mid-range surface-to-air missile,…  the first time that such a missile is launched from navy vessels.”

The same month – it seems the Propaganda Ministry was working overtime – Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi “announced Iran’s high capabilities in building UAVs, and said the country is mass-producing new types of combat drones.” Fars reported. He also said Iran has “already produced several types of combat drones, as well, and we are now mass-producing a number of them.”