Israel’s Iron Dome accidentally shot down an Israeli military drone during Hamas missile interceptions in the Gaza strip, Israel Defence Force (IDF) told local media.
“As part of the round of fighting in Gaza and as part of the defence of the country’s skies, an IDF skylark drone was shot down by Iron Dome,” said an IDF spokesperson, adding that the incident is under investigation.
Skylark drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that IDF use for intelligence, surveillance and examination missions. The report also stated that IDF is now worried and questioning whether the defence system is capable for long-term fighting without harming their resources.
Iron Dome has intercepted thousands of rockets fired from Hamas and managed to take down drones from the enemy. Designed in 2011 to prevent rockets, artillery and mortar rockets, the Iron Dome was made by a company called Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Aerospace Industries with US support.
The Israel Ministry of Defence, earlier this year, announced that they upgraded the Iron Dome, which will let the country fight and defend in skirmishes in future. The upgrades were tested against a huge number of rockets, missiles and unmanned weapons.
The system defended almost 90% of the rockets fired by the Qaseem brigade of Hamas, which significantly reduced human loss in Israel. In retaliation, IDF launched 1,500 airstrikes that killed 243 people in Palestinian.