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  • Israel to use drones in Azerbaijan for possible Iran strike - the

    Israel to use drones in Azerbaijan for possible Iran strike - the Sunday Times.

    http://www.tert.am/en/news/2012/12/03/israel-azerbaijan-iran-strike/
    12:58 - 03.12.12


    Israel plans to use unmanned drones it deployed in Azerbaijan to
    preemptively strike Iranian missile sites in the event of a war, the
    Xinhua news agency reported citing the Sunday Times.

    The report comes amid mounting speculations that Israel may launch a
    military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities next year, in which case
    the latter would retaliate by firing Shahab-3 and other long-range
    missiles at the Jewish state, while Lebanese militia Hezbollah and
    Gaza militants would follow suit.

    Ahead of a possible strike, Heron drones armed with Hellfire missiles
    would take out the missiles before they leave the ground, the paper
    said.

    According to the report, the Nevatim airbase in Israel's Negev desert
    houses a US-made X-band radar capable of detecting Iranian missiles
    loaded on launching pads 1,000 miles to the northeast, giving the
    Israelis 13 minutes' early warning.

    "We'll try to 'kill' them at the booster stage, the moment their
    engines are ignited," the newspaper quoted "a well-informed" Israeli
    military source as saying.

    "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,"
    the source said.

    Israel denies having armed UAVs, known in the US military as Predator
    or hunter-killer drones, but independent experts say it has used such
    hardware on numerous occasions, including to strike targets far beyond
    its borders, such as arms convoys bound for the Gaza Strip.

    Several reports over the past year have suggested that Azerbaijan,
    located beside the Caspian Sea and bordering Iran from the north, is
    slated to play a pivotal role in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran's
    nuclear program -- whether as a safe haven from which Israeli jets
    could take off and land for refueling, or for ground operations to
    rescue downed pilots and drone strikes.

    Both Israeli and Azeri officials have dismissed the reports.

    The Heron TP II drone, delivered to the Israel Air Force in February
    2010 and reportedly slated to attack the Iranian missiles, is a
    fourth-generation, all-weather craft with a cruising altitude of
    14,000 meters.

    With a wingspan of 26 meters, the size of a Boeing 737, it can carry
    nearly 5 tons of payload and remain aloft for 36 hours. Its range is
    classified, but Israel Aerospace Industries, which developed the
    craft, has previously said its linkup to satellite communication
    enables it to fly great distances and reach any country in the region.




    From: A. Papazian
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