Hezbollah drone reportedly made in GermanyOctober 17, 2012 - 21:02 AMT 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. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |