By The newspaper
05 Nov 2023, 16:43 PM EST
The Pentagon has officially acknowledged the use of unarmed surveillance drones over Gaza.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder confirmed that these drones are being used to “support hostage recovery efforts” in the region, according to the BBC.
The drones in question, identified as MQ-9 Reapers, are typically operated by US special forces and have been used for various purposes, including conducting airstrikes in Afghanistan. However, its current role as a surveillance aircraft in Gaza has sparked investigations into its purpose and impact.
These MQ-9 Reapers were first spotted by journalists on publicly available flight tracking websites, sparking interest and speculation about their mission. While the use of surveillance drones in conflict is not uncommon, this marks the first official confirmation of their deployment in Gaza.
The Pentagon statement emphasized that the United States is conducting these unarmed UAV flights to support hostage recovery efforts and is providing advice and assistance to assist its Israeli partner in this effort.
The drones are not intended to coordinate Israeli military actions, but instead focus on collecting information related to the hostage recovery operation.
These drones are just one example of remotely controlled US military vehicles operating in the region. The US Navy recently made headlines when it announced that it had fired lethal munitions from an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) in the Arabian Sea.
This was the first time such combat munitions were used in the Middle East, enhancing US military capabilities in the region.
It is worth mentioning that the US government reported that it has managed to evacuate more than 300 US citizens and their families who were in the Gaza Strip.
While the United States has also deployed two aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean, their stated purpose is to prevent the escalation of the conflict between Hamas and Israel. However, Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned the United States against using the ships to attack his group in a recent speech.
The use of these unarmed surveillance drones in Gaza, along with other military developments in the region, underscores the complex and evolving dynamics of the ongoing conflict.
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