Israeli military shoots down drone over Gaza

The Israeli military intercepted an unmanned aircraft flying at “an unusual altitude” over the Gaza Strip.

By AP

On Tuesday, Israeli army officials announced that fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a drone over the Gaza Strip. The military declined further comment on the incident.

The Islamic terror group that rules Gaza, Hamas, has a drone program backed with Iranian dollars and technology. Hamas remains one of a number of Iranian proxies in the region, including Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels, that brutalize local populations via terror fiefdoms and infiltration into governmental bodies in host countries.

Hamas’ drones have mostly been used for reconnaissance along the border with Israel. Israel has acknowledged intercepting at least three unmanned craft over Gaza in recent months.

In September, a drone from Gaza dropped explosives on an army vehicle near the security barrier dividing Gaza from Israel.

None of the terror groups in Gaza claimed responsibility. The military hit several Hamas-affiliated targets in response.

Hamas wrested control of power in Gaza from its rivals in the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) in 2007 after a bloody coup. Out of fear for his life, P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas never visits the coastal enclave, where Hamas rules with an iron fist.

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