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The Mujahideen Movement: The two were killed along with dozens of others from their family in a cowardly Zionist assassination that targeted the Sabra neighborhood today
The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement mourns the martyrdom of its Secretary-General, Asaad Attiya Abu Sharia "Abu Al-Sheikh", along with his brother Ahmad
Abu Zaid: I believe that the Iranian operation was multi-layered, combining cyber and electronic attacks with coordinated on-the-ground infiltrations by agents
Abu Zaid: Usually, archives of such sensitivity are typically protected by a full-scale security system, but it appears that Iranian intelligence managed to make use of a gap in it
Strategic military expert Nidal Abu Zaid: Iran has stripped "Israel" of the superiority and deterrence long boasted by its security minister, chief of staff, and other top officials
Fallahpour: Iran may use these documents in its battle with the United States and Western countries over its nuclear program
Fallahpour: Iran may have obtained additional documents related to "Israel's" regional projects, not just its nuclear program
Fallahpour: The coming weeks will be full of surprises, as Iran has forced Israeli intelligence agencies into a state of psychological exhaustion
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Tehran, Siavash Fallahpour: Iran has redefined the concept of deterrence, shifting it away from traditional military balance toward a new strategic framework
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Number of documents so great that merely studying them, along with accompanying images and footage will require a great deal of time.

Suicide drones risk bankrupting Western forces: The Telegraph

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Telegraph
  • 16 Apr 2024 21:19
  • 4 Shares
4 Min Read

According to The Telegraph, the most "dramatic attack" this far involving Iranian drones was the one that took place this weekend when Iran launched a retaliatory attack on "Israel".

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  •  A drone is seen in the sky seconds before targeting Kiev, Ukraine, on Oct. 17, 2022.(AP)
    A drone is seen in the sky seconds before targeting Kiev, Ukraine, on Oct. 17, 2022 (AP)

April 15 marked one year since the war in Sudan started where, according to The Telegraph, in the last few months, Iranian-manufactured drones fielded have been shifting things for Sudan's Armed Forces (SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

It added that drones have been also extensively utilized by the Yemeni Armed Forces in their operations in the Red Sea against Israeli ships and ships heading to the ports of occupied Palestine.

To highlight the wide use of drones, The Telegraph added that Shahed drones have been extensively used by Russia in Ukraine amid their ongoing conflict, and other Iranian-manufactured drones were used against US forces in Iraq and Syria. 

Why drones are taking the lead

Even though combat drones are not newly created and have existed for several years now, The Telegraph said that as Iran increased its production and export of drones over the past two years, the dynamic in warfare has shifted as these UAVs give a great advantage to many using them. 

Elaborating on how they give these advantages, it added that these drones are highly flexible and can be launched from a wide range of platforms, including trucks, shipping containers, and vessels.

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They can also be readily disassembled and re-assembled and easily moved and concealed as they can be launched in swarms to overwhelm air defenses, it said. 

According to The Telegraph, the most "dramatic attack" this far involving Iranian drones was the one that took place this weekend when Iran launched a retaliatory attack on "Israel" as attempting to intercept the attack is estimated to have cost the occupation up to 1.5 billion dollars, a significant amount of which must have been expended on downing the drones aside from the ballistic missiles that were launched.

The latter, it said, exhibits one of the most pressing problems facing Western national defenses today.

Both attack and reconnaissance drones can be as cheap as $2,000, The Telegraph said, using Shahed drone as an example as they have large explosive charges with great precision at ranges of around 2,000 miles and only cost $20,000 to $50,000.

Bad air defense systems 

On the other hand, some of the missiles that have been used to intercept these drones can cost upwards of a million dollars a shot and sometimes much more, it added explaining that the earlier they can be intercepted, the better the chances of stopping them from hitting the target, "but the higher the price tag."

The Telegraph said that Iran’s drone production and export, alongside Russia's use of missiles and other drones, has "given a long overdue wake-up call" to Western countries who are currently attempting harder to work on counter-drone technology and missile defense.

It added that the Israeli occupation is working on fielding Iron Beam, a laser interceptor for drones and missiles, soon, and Britain is developing a laser interceptor called DragonFire, which is predicted to be ready in five to ten years. The US, Russia, China, and India are also working on similar systems.

However, even if lasers seem promising, they cannot currently replace kinetic air defense missiles completely, as they are short-range only, probably not much more than 10 miles, and are hindered by atmospheric conditions such as rain and fog, the commentary said. 

Air defense systems will only constitute a partial response until technology can be developed to largely decrease the cost of neutralizing drones with actions to destroy production facilities remaining "paramount."

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