By ELIE LESHEM, TIMES OF ISRAEL
In the event that Iran attempts to fire missiles at Israel, Jerusalem will deploy giant drones stationed in neighboring Azerbaijan to destroy the missiles before they leave the ground, the London-based Sunday Times reported.
According to the report Sunday, an American-made X-band radar system deployed at the Nevatim airbase in the Negev “can detect an Iranian missile on its launchpad 1,000 miles to the northeast,” giving Israel up to 13 minutes of warning.
The report quoted an Israeli military source as saying “We’ll try to ‘kill’ them at the booster stage — the moment their engines are ignited.”
Reportedly, such a preemptive strike would be carried out with American Hellfire missiles, delivered by Eitan drones — also known as Herons — based in Azerbaijan.
“If that happens, and it isn’t as easy as it sounds, then the remaining missiles will be finished off by our Air Defense Command,” a “well-informed Israeli source” was quoted as saying.
The story was written for the British newspaper by the Tel Aviv-based Uzi Mahnaimi, who in the past has reported that the IAF used Eitan drones in an alleged attack on a Gaza-bound Iranian arms convoy in Sudan.
The Eitan has a range of over 7,400 kilometers, over four times the distance between Israel and Iran. It can also remain airborne for over 70 hours, which means that if Israel were to jam Iran’s radar system and/or destroy its air-defense batteries — as it reportedly did to Sudan in another alleged attack, on an arms factory in October — the drones could hover, unimpeded, above Iran, as their operators located targets.
The IDF claims that during the initial hours of November’s Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza — a coming-out party of sorts for Israel’s anti-missile technology — IAF aircraft destroyed hundreds of rocket launchers, decimating Hamas’s sizable stockpile of mid-range Fajr-5 rockets capable of reaching Tel Aviv.
Although some analysts have derided the notion, Azerbaijan has been the subject of rife speculation as a possible launch pad — or, at the very least, a refueling station — for an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Any such strike faces the difficult challenge of overcoming long flight distances, which makes Azerbaijan, which is located on the Caspian Sea, near Iran’s northern border, an ideal platform for launching airstrikes, refueling, and missions to recover downed pilots.
Azeri officials have denied reports that their country would allow Israel to use its bases for an airstrike on Iran.
Putting sexual orientation in the petition–is completely inappropriate–as the homosexual agenda in Israel is very destructive!
Several years ago , in both an Indian military website and in the magazine Wired, another slightly similar Israeli anti-missile device was described which was then in the planning stage. It was described not as a UAV which would be stationed in Azerbaijan and bomb the missile before it left the launching pad, but as a hovering platform over Iran itself. It would be over Iran to intercept ICBMs at the apex of their flight which is the time the missiles are most vulnerable to being shot down. It would result in Iran being showered with radioactivity from its own missile. This is probably not just a false story as others have suggested. As much as some hate Bibi , I still believe he wants to protect Israel from the insane Iranian beasts. As for Obama’s permission, Israel can produce this X band radar itself if Obama objects. Israel has obviously been working on another layer of protection besides the Arrow ,David’s Sling and the Iron Dome.
BB the American? Has Mr. BB more than one citizenship status? if so, it should be withdrawn by him at once.
If Mr. BB is American, and therefore an American elite on a MB payroll. Off shore of course.
This would not surprise me.
20 years since Oslo and still the same names: barak, clinton, netanyahu, peres, still in power.
Although I respect his performances at the UN. So well done was the last one, it got a lot of attention on the left wing sites, while laughing at him, helped give it a lot of publicity. BB beat them.
Confusing headline implies that Israel will target its own missiles. It should say Iran’s.
Another attempt at disinformation.
If true it would be dependent on Obama allowing in real time X Band information? Does anyone today really believe Obama would honor his agreement with Ehud Barak?
It would be too iffy and unreliable if true and put Azerbaijan in a conflict war footing with Iran. While there is no love los between the two I doubt the Azerbis, would chance the risks and cost to themselves in any aftermath of an Israeli attack.
At this point the only way to stop Iran’s nuke project is the use by Israel of Tactical Nukes.
Haven’t kept up over the years with Mahnaimi, who used to write for the London Times, he was and probably still is a Mossad Plant like debka.
Always gives enough credible information to maintain his cover but seldom the complete information and always what Israel wants publicized.
BB the American (yes the American) will always put America first over Israel and thus will never attack Iran unless Obama gives him the green light and backing.