Iran says purported Israeli drone came from north

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian general said that a purported Israeli drone shot down near a nuclear facility flew in from a northern country that was once part of the Soviet Union.

The semi-official Fars news agency quoted Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, the armed forces’ deputy chief of staff, making the allegation Wednesday. It reported that Jazayeri said the country must make “compensatory actions” or else be publicly named.

There are three former Soviet republics immediately north of Iran: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

On Saturday, Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said it shot down an Israeli drone near the country’s uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital, Tehran. State television aired footage of the purported drone Monday.

Israeli officials have not commented on the incident.

Israel and Azerbaijan signed a $1.4 billion defense deal in February 2012 which focused on drones and missile defense systems. Iranian Press-TV reported that Israeli satellites were being used in conjunction with the drones to run surveillance along the Iranian border.

In March of that year Azerbeijan officials denied a report in Foreign Policy Magazine that Israel was granted access to the airbases in the Caucasus nation, raising the fears of US officials at the time that Israel was readying an attack on Iran. Azerbaijan is located on Iran’s northern border.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.