The initial strike followed a historic first long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) strike by Yemen’s Ansarullah against Tel Aviv, killing one person. The FDD claimed that the UAV was made in Iran and completed a 2,600 km flight path.
One way Iran can elicit state interest is by highlighting the role its low-cost systems, like drones, have played on the battlefield, the American think tank noted.
The Shahed-136 UAV—also called the Geran-2—has been instrumental in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, with Moscow firing a reported 4,600 drones in the first two years of the conflict. The same drone was also featured in Iran’s April 13 attack against Israel, the FDD said.
It added that far beyond Ukraine and Israel, Iranian drones have been seen in at least two other continents, demonstrating the radius of Iranian arms shaping international conflicts.
In Venezuela, reporting from 2012 reveals Tehran aiding Caracas with local drone production. Fast forward to today, Venezuela’s armed forces utilize the Iranian Mohajer-2, dubbed the ANSU-100, as well as the newer ANSU-200, which closely resembles Iran’s Shahed-171, it further noted.
According to the FDD, in Ethiopia, Iranian drones played a significant role in the war in the northern Tigray region, with the Ethiopian military deploying Mohajer-6 UAVs.
RHM/IRN85571347
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