Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Iran has released the identity of an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle that shot before the drone reached Natanz nuclear facility.

Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' Aerospace Forces, Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said the Israeli spy drone that was shot over the Iranian sky is a Hermes-type, Iranian media reported.

He said the Israeli drone was equipped with two front and side cameras that could capture panoramic footage with a very high resolution, adding that it can operate within a range of 800 kilometers.

Hajizadeh went on to note that the aircraft can cruise 1,600 kilometers on one tank of fuel.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on August 24 that its Aerospace Force has intercepted and shot down an Israeli spy drone.

It added that the stealth and radar-evading spy drone intended to reach the nuclear facility in Natanz, but was targeted by a surface-to-air missile before it reached the area.

The Israeli military said it does not comment on foreign reports, according to Reuters.

"We had prior information about the aircraft because a previous model had been shot down in Syria. But this downed drone is a more advanced one," Hajizadeh said, however this information could not be confirmed independently.

The incident reportedly happened on August 23, but the IRGC broke the news on August 24.

Earlier, IRGC said some parts of the Israeli spy drone that was shot over the Iranian sky have been found undamaged and the experts are working on the information recovered from the spy drone.

"The drone's operational range shows that it had not taken off from the Zionist regime's bases, rather from a base in some regional country. We have some clues about its departure point," Hajizadeh added.

He further said anti-radar composite material had been used in the body of stealth drone to make it capable for reconnaissance missions.

Israel and the West suspect Iran is planning to build a nuclear bomb. Iran has in the past accused its Western and Israeli foes of trying to sabotage its nuclear program, which Tehran says is peaceful.

On December 4, 2011, the Iranian military's electronic warfare unit announced that it had successfully downed an American RQ-170 reconnaissance and spy drone in the eastern part of Iran with the minimal damage. The RQ-170, an unmanned stealth aircraft designed and developed by the Lockheed Martin Company, had crossed into Iran's airspace over the border with Afghanistan.