Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s military has assessed that Hamas was producing Iranian-designed unmanned aerial vehicles intended for targets deep inside Israel.

Military sources said Hamas and Islamic Jihad were assembling their first tactical UAVs based on Iranian design. They said the effort was aided by Iran’s leading proxy Hizbullah in cooperation with Iran’s Islamic Revolutioanry Guard Corps.

“UAVs are now considered to be a priority for Hamas and Jihad, both for surveillance, but mostly as a means to attack deep in Israel,” a source said.

The sources said Hamas has tested its first UAV platforms. They said Hizbullah and IRGC taught their Palestinian clients to use commercially-available components for UAV development.

“It [Hamas] is digging attack tunnels, producing UAVs and extending the range of its rockets,” Israeli military analyst Alex Fishman said.

Hamas launched UAVs into Israel during their 50-day war in July and August 2014. The UAVs were said to have included a platform filled with explosives.

The sources said the Palestinian UAVs were believed to be based on Iran’s Ababil. Ababil has been operated by Hizbullah for nearly a decade, and the low-flying aircraft succeeded in penetrating Israeli air space from Lebanon.

“The latest conflict has given Hamas a direction for future UAV development,” the source said.

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