Israeli media reports have suggested that the Hezbollah-launched drone that killed an IDF reserve sergeant in an attack near Nahariya last week is a new, hard-to-detect variety.
Military observers have noted that the Tehran-supplied Shahed-101, responsible for the recent death of Master Sergeant Valeri Chefonov, has an electrical propulsion system instead of a traditional fuel-powered engine. This improvement gives the weapon a lower audible signature, making it harder to identify while it is searching for a target.
In addition to having stealthy capabilities, the loitering munition has a range of 560 miles, can carry a large explosive payload, and is difficult to track on radar due to its operating at low altitudes.
The regime in Iran is known to have provided the platform to its allies in Iraq and Yemen.
The introduction of the Shahed-101 comes as Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened on Wednesday to target areas of Israel that have not been subject to his nine-month-long military campaign against the northern region of the Jewish state.
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