As drones play a role in the surprise attack on Israel this weekend, questions about how the terrorist organization secured the latest weaponized drone technology are being asked. According to Israeli experts speaking to the media in September about the Hamas drones, “the inspiration for them is Iran.”
Uzi Rubin, founder and first director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, noted that during Israel’s May 2021 conflict with Gaza, Hamas deployed a UAV known as the “Ababil,” known to also be in the possession of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The same UAV, with some minor adjustments, is also present in Yemen, where the Houthis who possess it call it the “Qasef,” according to Rubin. The Ababil is launched from a mobile catapult.
“The model that Hamas fired during [the May 2021 conflict] is called ‘Shahab’ by them,” said Rubin. He noted that the terror group has deployed various other types of drones “from ‘Operation Protective Edge’ [in 2014] onwards.”
Videos of alleged drone strikes from this weekend include:
#BREAKING Hamas armed drone strike on Israeli Merkava 4 tank. pic.twitter.com/e8gph7tYVK
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 7, 2023
This video shows a Hamas drone dropping a bomb on an Israeli ambulance.
This is a war crime. The world must intervene. #IsraelUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/yAhGNT3ATi
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) October 7, 2023
Hamas fighters dropped a projectile from a drone onto an automatic machine gun of the Israeli military. pic.twitter.com/Up7cI45qXp
— Sprinter (@Sprinter99800) October 7, 2023
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