Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White) on Thursday morning revealed that the UAVs Israel downed on Saturday over the Mediterranean were manufactured in Iran.
"We need to say that Hezbollah is acting as an emissary of Iran," Gantz said. "Its main weapon is a weapon produced in Iran - whether it was manufactured there or the knowledge was acquired there. We are continuing to act in every place we need to."
On Saturday, an IAF fighter jet and an Israeli Navy missile ship intercepted three hostile UAVs from Lebanon which approached the airspace over Israel’s economic waters.
The UAVs were identified by detection systems and monitored by ground control units throughout their flight. The UAVs were identified at an early stage and intercepted at the optimal operational point.
They belonged to the Hezbollah terrorist organization and flew from Lebanese territory in the direction of the “Karish” gas platform. They were intercepted at a safe distance from the platform.
According to IDF spokesman Ran Kochav, the Hezbollah terrorist organization sustained a "significant operational defeat" with the downing of three UAVs it had dispatched.
Speaking on Radio 103FM, Kochav said, "Hezbollah sustained a significant operational setback when it attempted this operation that did not succeed. It appears that the drones were not armed."
"These are Israeli territorial waters, and Hezbollah is trying to harm our sovereignty in all kinds of ways. But they have suffered a significant setback here."