Israel revealed yesterday what has been an open secret for two decades, that it has been using drones not only for surveillance but also for attacks inside the country, against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and potential targets as far away as Iran and Sudan.
In July, Israeli censors approved the publication of information about the armed drones, and the commander of Israel's artillery troops, which operate the drones along with the air force, Brigadier General Neri Horowitz gave what he said was the first public display of such aircraft, Reuters reported.
Horowitz said armed drones not only provide Israel with additional firepower, but also allow for rapid detection and strikes against targets such as Palestinian crews tasked with launching rockets in Gaza.
When jihadist rebels from Egypt crossed the border into southern Israel in a hijacked armored vehicle in May 2012, they were destroyed by a drone strike, Horowitz revealed at the annual drone technology conference in Tel Aviv.
Showing footage of Ukrainian forces using drones to guide shelling of Russian troops, he said: "We have the same application here."
At the same conference, Brigadier General Omri Dor, commander of the Palmachim Air Base, said that drones currently account for 80 percent of the Israeli military's operational flight hours.
However, manufacturers of armed drones are prohibited from advertising them, and none of them were among the models on display at the conference.
"There are concerns about the security of information," explained the sales representative of "Elbit", one of the companies.
In a separate speech, Economy Minister Orna Barbivaj said drone exports are popular abroad, including Arab countries that have moved closer to Israel since 2020. She did not specify whether such exports include armed drones.
Bonus video:
