'Israel' highly anxious over Iranian Shahed-136 UAV: Media
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The Israeli occupation cannot seem to stop worrying about Iran's exponentially growing military capabilities as Ukraine's defenses are undermined by loitering munition.
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so-called Shahed-136 drone (IMAMEDIA)
The alleged Iranian Shahed-136 drone proved to be a worthy foe for the Ukrainian military in the Ukraine war, Israeli media said, highlighting that Iran's innovation was sparking concerns within the Israeli occupation.
"Israel is closely following up on the drones that will affect any confrontation against Iran or any of its regional allies," the Israeli Walla! news website said. "The increased usage of unmanned aerial aircraft is posing a challenge to Ukrainian air defense systems."
CNA national security analysis expert Samuel Bendett commented on the issue, saying that the main advantage of the Shahed-136 drones lies in their ability to fly in large groups, thus incapacitating and overwhelming air defense systems.
All that is required is for a couple of these drones to sneak past the air defenses to jeopardize Ukraine's defenses, Bendett added, explaining how that would completely compromise Ukraine's logistics, assembly lines, communications, warehouses, and infrastructure.
The Israeli occupation, concerned by Tehran bolstering its status as an arms manufacturer on a global scale, is providing Kiev with intelligence on the Iranian drones being used in Ukraine, The New York Times reported last week.
Despite Israeli and Ukrainian claims about alleged Iranian drones being used in the war in Ukaine, Tehran has repeatedly denied such accusations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian had affirmed in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper that Iran would continue to avoid any steps that could prolong the war in Ukraine and did not confirm the sale of military equipment, including drones, to Russia.
Iranian drones started to fly over Ukraine for the first time a few weeks ago. The drones flew from Crimea, according to Andriana Arekhta, a first sergeant in the Ukrainian armed forces, and headed to attack a special forces unit fighting near the southern city of Kherson.
Meanwhile, Israeli West Asia affairs analyst Seth Frantzman wrote in The Jerusalem Post that Russia was increasingly using Iranian drones in Ukraine, which is a threat that "must be taken seriously" in the international arena, not only in the countries' respective region.
The main point of concern for the Israeli analyst is the fact that Iran is growing to be a lot bigger than its own sphere of influence within West Asia, extending to Europe, namely Russia.
Russia's usage of loitering munition drones developed by Iran against Ukraine is showing the might of the Iranian UAV capabilities.
Reportedly, Russia is chiefly using the Shahed-136/Geran-2 type kamikaze drone against Ukraine, with many reports surfacing about the matter in recent days. According to Frantzman, for all anyone knows, Russia could have ordered thousands of the drones, or could even be manufacturing them locally.
A Ukrainian fighter jet crashed in the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine on Wednesday, Kiev's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) confirmed earlier on Thursday following reports on the issue.
The fighter jet in question is a MiG-29K, which was sent out to intercept Shahed-136 UAVs, according to the Ukrainian bureau.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
