As of Tuesday, Israeli officials said they were still hunting for the wreckage of the aircraft in the desert. They have not yet accused anyone of being behind the drone.
The Islamic Republic, however, was quick to speak out. It said the drone incident showed that Israel’s much-vaunted Iron Dome air defense system simply didn’t work.
But Iron Dome is a defense against missiles, not aircraft, so the incident doesn’t prove anything about Iron Dome.
Furthermore, the Israelis shot the drone down. Israeli officials said they detected the drone over the Mediterranean headed for Israel. They said they tracked it as it crossed the Gaza Strip and a fighter jet shot it down when it was over an unpopulated area in Israel’s Negev Desert.
Israel did not give the track of the drone. There was speculation it was headed to photograph Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor, which is in the Negev Desert.
Hezbollah sent an Iranian-made drone into Israeli airspace at least once previously a few years ago. Israel also shot that drone down.