Dire Consequences for Israeli Violation of Iran’s Airspace, Tehran Warns
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Gholam Hossein Dehqani censured Israel’s recent violation of Iran’s airspace and warned that such aggressive moves will have grave consequences.
In a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN Security Council President Mark Lyall Grant and President of the UN General Assembly John Ashe, Dehqani described the incursion by an Israeli drone into the Iranian airspace as "a provocative act" which will have grave consequences for the aggressor.
He said the aggressive move has threatened regional peace and stability and called on the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to condemn it in the strongest terms.
The Iranian envoy reiterated that the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take any defensive measure to protect its territory.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Sunday tracked and shot down a radar-evading stealth Israeli drone which was intending to penetrate the airspace over Natanz nuclear zone.
The intruding “Hermes” unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was intercepted by a surface-to-air missile.
The Elbit Systems Hermes 450 is an Israeli medium size multi-payload UAV, designed for tactical long endurance missions.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the intrusion as “violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty” of the Islamic Republic.
Senior Iranian commanders have also underscored that Tehran’s reaction to violation of its airspace by the Israeli drone will not be necessarily diplomatic, but that Tel Aviv will get a practical response.
