Israel shoots down suspected Hizbollah drone

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L07879623.htm

Israel shoots down suspected Hizbollah drone

JERUSALEM, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft shot down a suspected Hizbollah drone as it flew over Israeli territory on Monday, the Israeli army said.

"I can confirm that the airforce destroyed a Hizbollah drone," an army spokesman said, but would not provide any other details, including where the drone was flying.

Israel's Channel One television reported that the drone was believed to be armed, but the army had no comment.

[endarkenment]

1. The interesting thing here is that Hezbollah has drones.

Slowly it is starting to dawn on our arrogant neocons that high tech weaponry combined with global markets means that equalization is inevitable. They are going to eventually have to either sit down and negotiate a real peace or sign on for a real world war and then sit down and negotiate a real peace, if there is anyone left to sit down, and any place left to do the sitting.

Idiots.

[MrPrax]

2. LOL...they got 'drones' now!!

Well yellow cake can't be too far behind...

:rofl:

Israel must think it's losing...

[Marie26]

7. Of course they have drones

Hizbollah itself has bragged about the drones it acquired on its TV station. They've flown over Israel before this conflict.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7477528/

[MrPrax]

9. Oh that report...

Did you read this far:

"When you turn on the engine, it takes off and flies," Abbas Fallah of Iran Aircraft Manufacturing told us. "It's so easy!"

We asked Fallah if the UAV was a "weapon of mass destruction."

"I don't think so!" he laughed.

Iranian officials have both taken credit for supplying the UAVs to Hezbollah and denied it.

One imprisoned Hezbollah fighter, named Shadi Abu Al-Hussein, allegedly confessed to the Israelis that he tried and failed to build a crude UAV packed with explosives. He sketched it for his Israeli captors. But in an interview with NBC News, the prisoner denied he's even part of Hezbollah.

***********

But then again, so what?
I believe these two groups are at war, no?
So why would it be unfair to suggest that one side doesn't have a right to any weapon they decide to use in order to further it's own particular goals. Israel hasn't ruled anything out, so why should the enemy? Besides I see this as a criticism ultimately of Israel's defense and intelligence gathering.

They seem to have not known quite a bit about the enemy or at least they are not telling us much and prefer to look incompetent, brutal and single-mindedly determined to carry out the same policies that created disaster and increased resentment in the ME.

But I don't buy it...this one was floated during the Iraq war and so the onus is on "U.S. and Israeli intelligence sources" and the report is strictly done to tie Iran to the conflict...which is something that the neo-cons are obsessed with, but I assume Iran and Syria are arming Hez anyway.

So I can never understand why this is suppose to be an important aspect to the conflict for Israel's supporters...other than converge it with existing US plans to attack Iran and Syria.

Yes we know...only Israel is allowed to have allies that supply it with weapons...yes yes...we know that part ;-)

[Marie26]

10. Getting back to the point...

Sometimes I think people provoke arguments just for the hell of it. My point, my only point, was that Hizbollah does indeed have drone surveillance aircrafts & has used them in the past. I said nothing about whether they have a right to them, whether Israel has a right to get weapons, whether this is important aspect of the conflict, or whether it has to do w/an Iran & Syria war, neocons, or World War III. You said that Hizbollah doesn't have drones, and that post was wrong. They do have them & they've flown them.

"Twice in the past two years, its operatives have launched unarmed drones that penetrated Israeli airspace. In the most recent incident, in April 2005, an Iranian-made drone that took off just north of the Israeli border flew for nearly nine minutes over Jewish settlements in western Galilee before returning to its base, Israeli military officials confirmed. The low-flying drone was equipped with a camera that filmed the entire 18-mile flight, portions of which were later broadcast on a Web site controlled by Hezbollah."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/14/AR2006071400385.html

[MrPrax]

11. No argument...

I don't believe it -- the Washington Post also said Saddam had drones...I remember history, you ignore it.

When I read allegations like this, I discount them until actualy proof is presented and not some patch quilt of allegations made by alleged informants, intelligence agencies or some dumbass expert that neither reads or writes in any of the languages of the Middle East.

You should too. But you don't. You chose to believe it -- I dont'. Where's exactly the argument?

Do I think that Hez and the like are getting arms from Syria and Iran? Sure..

Do I think that Iran might want to field test their little gizmo? Sure

Do I think that Syria and Iran and probably a few other sundry arms dealers are backing these groups? Sure...no argument.

It's only supporters that thing this is wrong that other countries might want to support these groups in their struggle with a common enemy, as they see it. The supporter is more than happy to point this out and state flatly, that all the arabs are out to get Israel. One this is stated, then the argument ends. If that is what you think, then so be it.

It doesn't change a damn thing, now does it?

I'll err on the side of caution with a lot of these specific reports -- both sides are fighting a 'hearts and minds' war.

[Marie26]

12. Seems like

people will refuse to believe anything that doesn't fit into their preconceived notions, & cling fast to any stray fact that confirms it. It's pretty clear that this is the case, whether built by Hez. themselves or received from a foreign supplier. There's numerous reports from the international press, Israel, & Hizbollah themselves. I'm not sure how much more proof you need, or if any proof would do.

[MrPrax]

13. Why are you belabouring this?

Your replies are insulting...you have pre-conceived notions as well? Why do you think that it's only a problem with me and NOT YOU!!!!

You are not reading anything I posted -- you just carry on with the same shit.

Might be true, might not be true -- numerous reports means nothing. There were numerous reports about Iranians forcing Jewish people to wear badges--they were all the same source and all wrong.

With that type of mentality I would believe that McDonald's has the best hamburgers because they have sold over 100 billion of them?

Don't mean they are the best -- it just means McDonald's is good at marketing and distributing hamburgers?

Is Israel good at marketing and distributing? It most certainly is...don't make any of their reports accurate, which is expected since they are at war with Lebanon. (I discount the Hez crap as well -- they got motives to spin and make the other guy look bad)

Doesn't critical thinking mean anything to you -- you fall into the same trap as the fanatics...is that what you are?

[billyoc]

14. I don't know what Hezbollah has or doesn't have,

but if they have a credit card, they can have drones.

About 100 models to choose from.

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/index.htm

[MrPrax]

15. LOL...

Yuppers...on a more serious note, they do have a credit card and there is NO shortage of people on this planet that would sell them anything they want to kill people. Common complaint among us peacenik types... ;-)

In fact it was through Lebanese arms dealers that Powell, Poindexter, etc sold those TOW missiles to the evil empire, Iran.

Gotta love the morality of the 'agents of chaos'

[IndianaGreen]

3. Hezbollah has drones?

A ceasefire is long overdue. Israel won't be able to defeat Hezbollah, and each week that Israel tries to, it only succeeds in turning Hezbollah into mythical force that withstood the most powerful nation in the region.

[xultar]

4. Buhwawawawawawawawawawa!

[brooklynite]

5. Additional Details (from Jerusalem Post)

The IAF shot down a Hizbullah UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) packed with explosives Monday evening. The aircraft was 10km off of the Israeli coast, west of Haifa, when it was hit by a fighter jet. The Air Force said that it spotted the drone when it took off in Lebanon, and was checking into the possibility that an additional one had been launched.

In April 2005 and November 2004, Hizbullah managed infiltrate drones into Israeli airspace over the Galilee without being detected and intercepted by the IAF.

...snip...

The previous incidents had come amid warnings by then-Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and senior security officials that Hizbullah might try to heat up the northern border during the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon and the disengagement from the Gaza Strip.

After the first penetration by a pilotless plane in November 2004, the IAF boosted its detection and interception capabilities in the North to prevent future occurrences. The measures, though they were ineffectual in April 2005, apparently served the Air Force well this time around.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525825097&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[sabra]

6. pick from ynet

Hizbullah drone over Israel (Archive photo) Photo: Channel 2

[Solo_in_MD]

8. Be interesting to know what airframe and control system they are using.

espcially if it was not an in house development.

[Rex]

16. Drones!?!?! Hezbollah has drones???

This just gets weirder by the minute.

[Anakin Skywalker]

17. You Stole My Post!

Hey! I was gonna say that first! :)

[IndianaGreen]

19. I think those are the WMD drones that Iraq had

made of balsa wood and able to spray poison gas at a moment's notice.

[jpkenny]

18. At this point, can you believe anything Israel or the US says? nt