TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Army shot down an unidentified drone that was violating the country’s airspace near the port city of Mahshahr in the southwestern province of Khuzestan on the Persian Gulf coast. According to the news that Iran shot foreign drone intruding coastal limits, Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force Brigadier […]
TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Army shot down an unidentified drone that was violating the country’s airspace near the port city of Mahshahr in the southwestern province of Khuzestan on the Persian Gulf coast.
According to the news that Iran shot foreign drone intruding coastal limits, Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi-Fard said the intruding unmanned aerial vehicle was brought down early Friday before it could reach “sensitive areas,” Press TV reported.
The drone was hit by Iran’s domestically-produced air defense system Mersad, according to Fars News Agency.
“This decisive move and the firing of a missile were a reaction to the intrusion by a foreign drone into our country’s airspace,” he added.
The senior military commander did not specify which country the drone belongs to but emphasized that Iran has repeatedly warned that it is fully prepared to give a firm response to any violation of its airspace.
Meanwhile, Governor of Khuzestan Gholamreza Shariati told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that the wreckage of the aircraft has been recovered and is under study.
He emphasized that the downed drone “definitely belonged to a foreign country” and said the results of investigations would be announced later.
Reacting to reports, the Pentagon said no American military equipment was involved.
In June and in an episode of a similar nature, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down an American spy drone in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormuzgan.
In a statement, the IRGC said the US-made Global Hawk surveillance drone was brought down by its Air Force near the Kouh-e Mobarak region – which sits in the central district of Jask County – after the aircraft violated the Iranian airspace.
The intruding drone was reportedly shot by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system named “Khordad-3rd.”
- source : Iran Daily, Irannews
