Report: Iran has drone pictures of Israeli bases

— Iran has images of sensitive Israeli military bases taken by a drone that was launched by Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and downed by Israel earlier this month, a senior Iranian lawmaker claimed Monday in the latest boast from Tehran about purported advances in the capabilities of its unmanned aircraft.

The announcement gave no details about the photos — other than calling the Israeli bases “forbidden sites” — but it suggested Iranian drones have the ability to transmit data while in flight.

It also appeared aimed at warning Israel about the options for retaliation for any possible strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

A prominent lawmaker, Ismaeil Kowsari, also was quoted as saying that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah possesses more sophisticated Iranian-made drones than the one that was downed, including some that could carry weapons. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials.

“These drones transmit the pictures online,” Kowsari he told the semiofficial Mehr news agency. “The pictures of forbidden sites taken and transmitted by this drone are now in our possession.”

The lawmaker, who heads the parliament’s defense committee, said Hezbollah is “definitely” equipped with more sophisticated drones but gave no further details.

A senior Israeli military official in Israel’s northern command said he did not believe the drone possessed a camera, though he noted an Israeli investigation is continuing. He spoke on condition of anonymity under military guidelines.

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