Saturday, 30/05/2026   
   Beirut 15:29

Iran Downs Orbiter Drone near Strategic Qeshm Island

Image of downed Orbiter drone released by Mehr News Agency.

Iran’s air defense forces shot down a hostile unmanned aerial vehicle near Qeshm Island overlooking the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian Army announced on Saturday, identifying the aircraft as an American-Israeli drone operating in the vicinity of the vital waterway.

In a statement, the Iranian Army’s Public Relations Office said an Orbiter drone belonging to the “aggressor US-Zionist enemy” was detected and targeted by the military’s Air Defense Force.

The drone was brought down in the Qeshm region after being successfully tracked and engaged by an air defense system operating within the integrated network of the country’s Joint Air Defense Headquarters, the statement added.

Earlier, Tasnim News Agency said late Friday that the Iranian Army’s air defense units detected the “hostile American-Zionist drone” before successfully targeting and destroying it near the island.

The agency quoted military officials as saying that the unmanned craft had entered restricted airspace in a region that controls access to the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: Iranian media (edited by Al-Manar)