Israeli drones struck Hamas convoys, killing smugglers, Iranian escorts
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
LONDON Ñ Israel deployed tactical and strategic unmanned aerial vehicles in January attacks in Sudan.
Defense sources said the Israel Air Force sent at least two UAV systems to attack Hamas convoys in eastern and northern Sudan in January 2009. The UAVs were identified as the Hermes-450 tactical system by Elbit Systems and the Eitan strategic UAV by the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries.
"The raids were carried out by Hermes-450 drones," Uzi Mahnaimi, the defense correspondent for the Sunday Times, said. "One source claimed they were accompanied by giant Eitan UAVs, which have a 110-foot wingspan, similar to that of a Boeing 737."
On March 29, Mahnaimi, an Israeli native whose father was a senior intelligence officer, said the Israeli UAVs, fed by data provided by the Mossad, targeted Hamas weapons convoys. He said the convoys contained Iranian-origin Fajr-class rockets with ranges of more than 70 kilometers, capable of striking Tel Aviv as well as Israel's nuclear reactor in Dimona.
"The UAVs attacked two convoys, killing at least 50 smugglers and their Iranian escorts," Mahnaimi wrote. "All the lorries carrying the long-range rockets were destroyed."
This marked the first report of Israel's use of UAVs for attack missions outside the Levant. Israel was said to have used the Hermes and other UAVs for missile strikes in the Gaza Strip in the war with Hamas in January 2009.
The Eitan, with an endurance of nearly 50 hours, could be controlled from an air force facility in Israel. The Eitan was said to be capable of hovering over a target for 24 hours and has been cited as a potential asset in any Israeli air strike of Iran's nuclear weapons facilities.
Defense sources said Israel preferred using the UAVs rather than manned aircraft to attack the Hamas convoys. The sources said high-altitude UAVs were more capable of tracking a moving target.
"When you attack a fixed target, especially a big one, you are better off using jet aircraft," Mahnaimi quoted a defense source as saying. "But with a moving target with no definite time for the move UAVs are best, as they can hover extremely high and remain unseen until the target is on the move."
Israel has refused to confirm or deny air strikes in Sudan. But officials said Hamas has accelerated the smuggling of missiles, explosives and components for weapons in 2009, including 22 tons of explosives and 45 tons of material for weapons, mortars and anti-aircraft missiles.