Iran unveils new drone that can target Israel

Iranian military leaders have unveiled a new long-range drone capable of reaching Israel and most of the Middle East.

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander, described the weapon as a key strategic addition to Iran's military capabilities.

Hajizadeh, who heads the Guard's aerospace division, said the Shahed-129, or Witness-129, has a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) and can carry out reconnaissance missions or be armed with 'bombs and missiles'.

That covers much of the Middle East including Israel and nearly doubles the range of previous drones produced by Iranian technicians, who have often relied on reverse engineering military hardware with the country under Western embargoes.

Iran said it has recovered data from the RQ-170 Sentinel and claimed it was building its own replica.

Iran frequently makes announcements about its strides in military technology, but it is virtually impossible to independently determine the actual capabilities or combat worthiness of the weapons Iran is producing.

They also test-fired four anti-ship missiles yesterday in a prelude to upcoming naval war games planned in an apparent response to U.S.-led warship drills in the Persian Gulf.