Iran Trains Affiliated Militias On Drone Attacks, Israeli Defense Minister

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has accused Iran of providing drones (UAVs) to foreign militias in the Middle East.

Speaking at the annual International Institute for Counter-Terrorism Conference at Reichman University,  Gantz said the Kashan base is used to train terrorists from Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon

He said these terrorists are trained to employ UAVs produced by Iran. This base is a key point from which Iranian aerial terrorism is exported to the region.”

According to the ministry, this is a new disclosure, that Iran is using its Kashan airbase, about 100 miles from the city of Isfahan, to train Iran-affiliated militias.

His office provided what it said is a satellite image showing UAVs on the runways at Kashan.

An Iranian-produced drone recently attacked the tanker Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned petroleum product vessel managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime near the Gulf of Oman. Two crew members were killed, a Briton and a Romanian.

Gantz said one of the most significant tools that Iran has developed is its unmanned aerial vehicle system adding that the Iranians produce and export them to their proxies and that Iran had also attempted to transfer the know-how needed for UAV production to Gaza.

He said Proxies can be set up anywhere in the world,” he said adding that this was the time for all the world’s powers, including Russia and China, to join the campaign to maintain global stability.”

The minister also called for a joint international campaign against Iran saying efforts against Iran, as well as against Afghanistan and other countries, are not just interests for the Middle East or the West.