Hamas Claims Used Captured Israeli UAV

Hamas’ military wing says it took over Skylark I UAV on July 22, rebuilt it and put it to use in the service of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The IDF said it was looking into the Hamas claim.

The Palestinian al-Aqsa channel aired a video that purports to show the takeover of the drone.

“The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, revealed that a special unit took over an Israeli SKYLARK1 drone and was able to making it operational,” a statement from the Qassam Brigades said.

“Security checks were conducted, and the systems and technologies installed in the drone were examined, and then the unit rebuilt it and put the drone to use in the service of the al-Qassam Brigades,” Hamas said.

The statement went on to say that “the enemy must know that we arelying in wait for it and will surprise it every day with a new achievement it would not expect. Responsible for this qualitative achievement is a group of young, creative minds. This achievement is dedicated to Palestinian youth.”

The Skylark I drone, developed by Elbit Systems, is used by the Artillery Corps. It has crashed in Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank several times over the past few years. This is the IDF’s smallest drone and is used by battalion and division commanders.

In June 2015, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) infiltrated Israeli air and crashed in an open area near the border fence in southern Gaza.

The IDF identified the UAV when it was still flying over the Strip and monitored its progress, while at the same time the IAF launched fighter planes to intercept it. After 40 minutes in the air, however, the UAV crashed on the Israeli side of the border fence.

On the seventh day of Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, a Hamas drone infiltrated southern Israel. It was intercepted by a Patriot missile near Ashdod. At the time, Hamas said it launched “several unmanned aerial vehicles for the purpose of special missions deep inside Israel.”

Source: YT News