US Spy Drone Downed after Iran’s Several Warnings: Commander
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The deputy commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, the headquarters of Iran’s Air Defense, said the country’s forces targeted and shot down the US spy drone over the Iranian territorial waters after issuing several warnings.
The downing of the US military’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is the result of the “aggressive” nature of Washington and its ignorance of other countries’ rights, Brigadier General Qader Rahimzadeh said on Friday.
“On numerous occasions, the American planes have received warnings because of violating international regulations, crossing the designated border lines, and entering our territorial waters,” he noted.
“All of the warnings and their flight routes have been recorded,” the commander added.
“The Americans’ non-compliance with the international law has caused their aircraft to be hit and shot down after (receiving) several warnings,” Brigadier General Rahimzadeh stated.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that a US spy drone that violated the Iranian territorial airspace in the early hours of the day was shot down by the IRGC Aerospace Force’s air defense unit near the Kooh-e-Mobarak region in the southern province of Hormozgan.
The intruding drone was reportedly shot by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system “Khordad-3rd”.
In comments made a few hours after the incident, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami said the shooting down of the US aircraft had a straightforward message that any foreign intrusion into Iran’s sovereign territories would draw a crushing response.
“The downing of the US drone had an explicit, decisive and clear message that defenders of the Islamic Iran’s borders will show decisive and knockout reactions to aggression against this territory by any alien,” he said.
“Borders are our redline, and any enemy violating these borders will not go back,” the commander underlined.
He also made it clear that Iran is not seeking war with any country but is fully prepared for any confrontation. “Today’s incident was a clear sign of such a precise message.”
The general also reminded the enemies that the only way for them to remain safe is to respect Iran’s territorial integrity, national security and vital interests.