Hezbollah UAV Shot Down off Haifa Coast

F-16 fighter jets shot down a Hezbollah Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Monday night 10 kilometers off the coast of Acre. A high-ranking IAF officer said that it was possible that the UAV was loaded with explosives and was on its way to crash into a sensitive installation in northern Israel.

"It could be that the UAV was packed with explosives," the officer said. "It is also possible that the UAV was launched to send a message of Hezbollah's capabilities."

The Air Force believes that the drone was the same model used by the Hizbullah two years ago and was a Mirsad 1, a small remote- controlled drone with one engine and a small camera. Made by Iran, it weighs about 80 kilos and with a wingspan of 3 meters it could carry a payload of about 40 kilos.