Hezbollah drone reportedly made in Germany

PanARMENIAN.Net - The drone that penetrated deep into Israeli airspace nearly two weeks ago was manufactured in Germany by Siemens and Bockstiegel, and purchased by a fictitious Iranian company that was a front for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), The Times of Israel reported citing the Lebanese newspaper Al-Jumhuriya.

According to the paper, Siemens manufactured the drone’s camera and remote control parts while Bockstiegel, which produces ships, provided light metal parts.

Last week, Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah confirmed responsibility for launching the aircraft, which he claimed was made in Iran.

The Lebanese newspaper’s report also stated that Hezbollah possessed a large arsenal of similar UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) whose main purpose was to spy, not attack.

Another article by Al-Jumhuriya quoted an unnamed US Department of Defense official as saying that the UAV was similar to modified model airplanes that can be assembled at home. The source further claimed that the drone was capable of taking pictures but lacked the capacity to relay real-time information back to its handlers – confirming previous statements about the drone by Israeli officials.

In contrast, Iranian officials touted the UAV’s infiltration of Israeli airspace as a demonstrable breakthrough. The Islamic Republic’s Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said earlier this week that Hezbollah’s launch of a drone into Israeli airspace proved Iranian military capabilities.