Dan Halutz as Chief of Staff (file)
Dan Halutz as Chief of Staff (file)Israel news photo: Flash 90

Google Maps provide better pictures than those probably sent by the enemy drone downed over the Sabbath, says a former Air Force chief.

Another former Air Force general said in a separate interview that the drone, presumably launched by Hizbullah in Lebanon, represents a significant advancement in the terrorist organization’s technology.

Halutz, who was chosen by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to head the IDF and carry out the expulsions of Jews from Gaza under the “Disengagement Plan” after opposition from then-Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon, said he is not concerned over the penetration of Israeli air space by an enemy drone.

The incident can be regarded as an Iranian violation of Israel’s sovereignty in view of the fact that Tehran finances and, to a certain extent, gives orders to Hizbullah.

Halutz claimed in an interview with Voice of Israel government radio that the quality of the photos from the drone are of low quality and that the enemy could see better pictures by using Google Map. The drone did not cross over any strategic sites, although the IDF may have carried out a cyber attack to divert it from a course towards the nuclear reactor near Dimona.

Halutz failed to note that Israel, as well as many other countries, have censored or blurred many Google Map photos for security reasons, pointed out Independent Media Review and Analysis (IMRA) director Dr. Aaron Lerner.

In a separate interview with Army Radio, Air Force Brigadier General Aryeh Fishbein said the IAF is familiar with the drone that was downed. He said it can fly up to 250 miles an hour and carry a payload, either a small bomb or camera, weighing up to 65 pounds (30 kilograms).

The IDF denied claims from Gaza that the drone had been launched from there, and all indications are that it originated in Lebanon, flew south over the Mediterranean Sea outside Israel’s territorial waters and then turned east at Gaza.

The IDF immediately indentified it as it flew east, the drone then took a U-turn, indicating that Israel may have taken over its operation and guided it away from the area of Air Force bases and the nuclear reactor and instead towards the Yatir Forest, approximately 25 miles north of Be’er Sheva.