If you were worried about the drone that Hezbollah flew over Israel the other day, Stratfor has a word for you: chill. At least for now.
The terrorist group's "Nov. 7 flyover is a symbolic move by Hezbollah rather than a sign of imminent attack," Stratfor counsels.
European intelligence sources say Hezbollah has acquired two to three UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] from Iran (renamed the Mirsad 1 by Hezbollah, the UAV is also known as the Iranian Mohajer). In addition, Hezbollah has gathered an international team of engineers and scientists to equip the UAVs with a weapons system, enabling it to use the aircraft for a limited combat role as well as reconnaissance. Some reports indicate that later versions of the Iranian Mohajer can be equipped to fire chemical weapons.
While Hezbollah's UAVs might pose a serious threat once they have been developed for combat operations, Hezbollah's capabilities are actually very limited. Because of flight-time restrictions and the need to maintain redundant systems, possessing two or three UAVs gives Hezbollah -- tactically speaking -- the ability to maintain "eyes on" only one area at a time. Due to its short duration, the flight over Israeli settlements probably did not give Hezbollah any sort of strategic insight that it would not have been able to obtain otherwise.
