Drone War: Israel and Hezbollah Both Score Hits

Drone War: Israel and Hezbollah Both Score Hits

by John Little on 14/07/2006

A Palestinian Islamic Hamas militant was killed Monday night as Israel launched a heavily armoured incursion into the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun.

Medics and security forces said that Ismail Rateb el-Messri, 29, of Beit Hanoun was critically wounded by the shrapnel of a rocket fired by an Israeli pilotless drone northeast of Beit Hanoun. He died later on srugery for severe wounds.

Israel has used this technique, with success, many times. Now FOX News broadcast is reporting that the Israeli ship reported damaged by rocket fire earlier was in fact struck by a Hezbollah drone packed with explosives.

SeattlePI has more on the Hezbollah drone:

Israel claimed in 2004 that the drone, dubbed by Hezbollah the “Mirsad 1,” or “observation post” in Arabic, was Iranian-made. On Friday, however, Israeli officials suggested it had been developed by the Lebanese Shiite Muslim group, as Hezbollah itself has claimed in the past.

Defense analyst John Pike of the Washington-based firm Global Security doubted that claim.

“I think Hezbollah has people capable of rigging explosives to a drone, but I don’t think they could develop a UAV on their own,” he said. Global Security’s website notes that a leading Arab newspaper, London-based Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat, once reported that Iran sold eight Mohajer-4 drones to Hezbollah.

It looks like the Israeli ship is quite badly damaged:

Several hours after the vessel was hit, an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman said the damage was worse than originally thought. She added that the ship, still burning, was being towed back to Israel. There were some 80 people on board the ship when it was hit.

Update:
Iranian Missile Struck Israeli Ship – Iranian Soldiers May Have Assisted in Attack

Related:
Federation of American Scientists – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
UAV Photo Gallery
Wikipedia
GlobalSecurity.org – John Pike’s Bio

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There are 4 comments in this article:

15/07/2006tim says:

over 23 years ago I worked on an early UAV program. this is compeltely withing the capcity of Hezbollah — or any two guys with a few months to spare and a good basic background in aeronautical engineering (not that rare at all). In the US there are probalby 5,000 large model aircraft hobbyists who could put one together in a week.

almost everything you need could be bought bought off the shelf. the avionics, control and navigation would actually be the easiest to accomplish.

I find it very difficult to believe the quoted person at Global Security is any serious authority.
15/07/2006Media UnCut says:

Israel’s goal to cripple Lebanon?

The Israeli attacks on Lebanon go on for a forth day straight attacking more bridges.
15/07/2006Armmad says:

You writing reflects incompetence, and grossly distorts international affairs. I suggest you stop getting all your information from Fox and/or books recommended by that station and do yourself a favor in broadening and go to library, actually please continue with your perverted view of the world. It becomes obvious what neo-con, barbaric, callous values you harbor.
15/07/2006Drew458 says:

A drone? A UAV? What gives – Haaretz is reporting that the ship was hit by an “Iranian made” C-802. That’s a cruise missle! How embarassing that the thing has a guidance package supplied by Rockwell, made right here in the USA.

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