IRGC Investigating Launchpad of Israeli Spy Drone

Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami announced that investigations are underway to find the country of origin where the Israeli spy drone that was shot down over Iran late last month had taken off.
Investigations are underway for finding out the launchpad of the Israeli spy drone which was shot down over Iranian territory late August, Salami told reporters on Wednesday on the sidelines of the funeral service of the father of former Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi.

On August 24, the IRGC announced in a statement that it had shot down an Israeli drone near the highly sensitive nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz in Central Iran.

The IRGC Public Relations Department said in the statement that the Israeli pilotless aircraft was a radar-evading, stealth drone with the mission to spy on Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment plant.

The IRGC also pointed out in its statement that the Israeli hostile aircraft had been targeted by a surface-to-air missile.

The IRGC has warned that it “reserves the right of response and retaliation for itself”.

On August 25, Director of the IRGC’s Public Relations Department General Ramezan Sharif told FNA that some of the parts of the downed aircraft are working, “and our experts are studying the information and intelligence of these parts”.

“We are now analyzing the information of this plane,” he added.

On August 26, General Salami said that Iran knows well from which country and which base the Israeli drone that it shot down a few days ago had taken off.

“What some people say that the drone had started its flight from Israel is not correct and we are almost certain about its origin, yet we would like to reserve judgment at present,” Salami told reporters in Tehran.

He further pointed out that the drone had been traced as soon as it had crossed Iran’s borders, but “it was allowed to enter the country to see the intention (of the hostile forces operating it) and then we targeted and hit it at the right time”.

Speaking to FNA on August 27, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Cultural Affairs and Defense Publicity Brigadier General Massoud Jazzayeri expressed regret that a regional country North of Iran has collaborated with Israel and served as a launch-pad for the mission, and said, “We are waiting for that country which has cooperated with the Quds Occupying Regime (Israel) to send the drone to Iran to make up for its wrong deed; otherwise, we will declare its name.”

Jazzayeri said that the drone had taken off from a former Soviet republic in the North of Iran.

On August 30, Vice-Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mansour Haqiqatpour warned that Tehran will show tough reaction to the country which was used by Israel to send its spy drone to Iran.

“Any country that has allowed the Zionist regime to fly its (spy) drone from there to Iran should make up for its action,” Haqiqatpour told FNA.

He cautioned that appropriate measures will be taken against the country that was used by the Israeli drone for take off, and said, “This country should wait for the consequences.”

Haqiqatpour said that investigations are underway to identify the third country and some progress has been made in this regard so far.

Then a few days later in September, Haqiqatpour urged the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces to name the country of origin where the Israeli spy drone had taken off.

“We want the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (General Hassan Firouzabadi) to carry out the necessary investigations to identify the origin of the flight and inform the people of the results,” Haqiqatpour told FNA.

He noted that the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission would study the issue and carry out the necessary follow-ups for taking appropriate political action against that country.