Terrorists trained by Iran will cause 9/11-like destruction with drones

Jerusalem : Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz warned that ‘Iran is training thousands of terrorists in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to fly drones (UAVs unmanned aerial vehicles). Iran is set to deliver its technology to Hamas and Islamic Jihadi terrorists in the Gaza Strip. The training is being imparted at an Iranian airbase, which could prove dangerous in case of aerial terror strikes.’ At the same time, Defence Minister Gantz drew attention to the danger of a terrorist attack similar to 9/11 using drones without physically hijacking an aircraft.

In a speech delivered at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) Conference at Reichman University, Israel’s Defence Minister Gantz accused Iran of making very dangerous moves. ‘Iran is trying to achieve its economic, diplomatic and military objectives with the help of proxy terrorist organizations formed in the Gulf countries. Iran is adopting various alternatives, the usage of drones is one of them,’ Gantz said.

‘Iran is training thousands of terror operatives in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to fly drones that can travel thousands of kilometres. Isfahan, a military airfield in central Iran, is being used for this purpose. This Iranian airbase has become dangerous in spreading aerial terror in the Gulf, Israel’s Defence Minister warned. Satellite images of the drones on runways at this airbase have surfaced.

‘Terrorism has changed in the past 20 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. From small organizations to ‘terror armies’, are taking advantage of the countries with limited governance, like Lebanon and Afghanistan. In the years to come, weak leadership and deteriorating countries will continue to serve as locations for the presence and operation of terror armies,’ Gantz warned.

Israeli Defence Minister Gantz pointed out that ‘Terrorists trained by Iran can use explosive-laden drones to carry out deadly terrorist attacks like the 9/11. There will be no need to hijack a plane for it physically.’ Therefore, the anchors for counterterrorism will continue to be the development of intelligence superiority and offensive capabilities, for targeted killings of key figures and developing and strengthening systems that combine air defences with territorial defences,’ Gantz added.

Last month, Israel accused Iran of launching a drone strike on an Israeli-owned cargoship in Oman’s territorial waters. Two days ago, on Saturday, the US military claimed to have shot down 2 Iranian drones that had come to attack Iraq’s Erbil International Airport. The Israeli defence minister’s warning issued within the next few hours on a 9/11-like attack by revealing information on the Iranian drone base calls for attention.