Iran Guards unveil ‘Gaza’ drone in tribute to Palestinians

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards unveil a new combat drone dubbed “Gaza” in a tribute to the Palestinians, the force’s official website reported, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian terror groups in the coastal enclave took effect.

The drone was named as “an eternal honor for those who today in (Gaza) stand against the Zionists’ invasion and aggression,” Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami said at the unveiling event, quoted by Sepah News.

The drone is capable of carrying 13 bombs while flying at over 35,000 feet at a speed of almost 350 kilometers per hour (200 mph) for 20 hours, he added.

The Islamic republic does not recognize Israel, and supporting the Palestinian cause has been a pillar of Iran’s foreign policy since the country’s 1979 revolution.

Salami had on Wednesday hailed “the birth of a new Palestine… fighting with missiles” and said Israel was now “broken, frustrated and downcast.”

NEW ???? Iran unveils a new long-range combat drone and names it 'Gaza'. pic.twitter.com/3I0DvLJWtg

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) May 21, 2021

The Guards’ Quds Force commander, Ismail Qaani, had earlier this week reaffirmed Tehran’s support for Palestinians against Israel in a phone call with Islamist faction officials.

According to Sepah News, Salami also unveils a new radar system named “Quds” (Jerusalem) that can “detect stealth aircraft in a 500-kilometer (310-mile) radius and be quickly set up and moved.”

The website showed an upgraded version of an air defense system that in 2019 shot down a United States Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz after it allegedly violated Iran’s airspace.

The new version can fire “advanced short-range missiles and combat close threats such as cruise (missiles), drones, helicopters and bombs released by aircraft,” Salami says.