IRGC uncovers Israeli drone network operating inside Iran

Shafaq News/ Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced, on Thursday, the arrest of a network allegedly affiliated with Israel, accused of operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from within Iranian territory.

In a statement, the IRGC’s intelligence arm said the operation was carried out in the western province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari by agents from the Qamar Bani Hashem Corps. The network was reportedly tracked, surveilled, and dismantled without incident.

While the statement did not disclose the identities or nationalities of those detained, nor the specific missions assigned to the drones, the announcement comes amid heightened Iranian concerns over Israeli espionage and sabotage operations involving UAVs.

In recent months, Iran has reported multiple incursions by unidentified drones targeting sensitive sites, including the Natanz nuclear facility and military installations in Isfahan and Tehran. These incidents have prompted Iranian intelligence services to bolster aerial surveillance and cyber defenses linked to remote drone operations.

Tehran has long accused Israel’s Mossad and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of orchestrating drone-based reconnaissance and sabotage missions inside Iran. Officials in the capital claim these operations aim to undermine Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure, either through direct strikes or by gathering sensitive intelligence.