Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar, made the decision to ground a formation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) after one of them crashed in an open field in central Israel, Ynet learned Wednesday. The specific UAV involved in the incident belonged to the 200th Squadron and had returned from a mission in the Gaza Strip. The army's initial report suggests the crash occurred due to a technical malfunction.
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The incident was first reported on Tuesday morning. Fire and rescue teams from the Rehovot station arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire following the crash. This marks the second incident in which a medium-sized UAV crashed during the ongoing war.
In the previous incident, which took place during the start of the IDF's ground operation in Gaza, the continued operation of the UAV squadron was critical due to the maneuvering of forces. An ongoing investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the crash, with the drone having been recovered by an Air Force team from the ground.
Throughout the ongoing war, the IDF has been operating drones for various purposes, including targeted actions in the Gaza Strip. Recent months also saw reports of IDF drone activities in Lebanon, operating against Hezbollah targets. The incident doesn't hinder the UAV squadron's operational capabilities in responding to the needs of the war.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said in a statement, "A UAV crashed this week during a routine operation. No injuries were reported and an investigation into the event is ongoing. Major General Tomer Bar has instructed the halting of all operations of similar UAVs until investigations are complete."