Qasem Soleimani Personally Oversaw Planned Drone Attack against Israel
Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
Corps' al Quds Force personally oversaw the training, funding and preparation
for the drone attack that the IDF thwarted late Saturday night, Chief of Staff
Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi said on Sunday.
According to IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis the IDF was able to stop
the cell and was ordered last night to strike Aqraba early Sunday morning after
they received intelligence that the attack would happen on Sunday.
The drones, he said, were similar to the kind used by the Houthis in Yemen
against Saudi Arabia. Each of the drones was capable of carrying several
kilograms of explosives and was supposed to be operated by a group of Iranian
pilots who arrived specially in Syria several days ago for the mission.
Manelis said that the
airstrikes struck several targets in Aqraba where there was the presence of
Quds Force and Shiite militia troops, equipment and Iranian missiles.
The IDF was placed on high alert ahead of a possible retaliation after IDF
aircraft struck Iranian targets in Syria overnight Saturday thwarting an
imminent attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
Quds Force killing two
Hezbollah militants and one Iranian.