Israeli army says one of its drones downed over Iran

A destroyed drone, which the Iranian Army says belongs to Israel, is seen in Isfahan, Iran.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The Israeli military said on Wednesday (June 18, 2025) that one of its drones had been downed while operating over Iran, the first such loss it has acknowledged since the start of hostilities last week.

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An army statement said the drone had gone down in Iran after being hit by a surface-to-air missile. “No injuries were reported and there is no risk of an information breach,” it added.

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Iranian state television broadcast pictures of the wreckage of what it said was an armed Israeli Air Force Hermes drone in the central city of Isfahan.

The Israeli air force has been launching daily raids on Iran since last Friday, with the country targeting missile sites in particular along with other military and nuclear-related sites.

Military spokesman Effie Defrin insisted that Israel was “operating freely” over Iran with air strikes that have involved “dozens of aircraft of various types.”

“We will continue to strike anywhere within Iran that we choose. Yes, there is resistance, but we control the skies and will continue to maintain that control,” he told a televised press briefing on Wednesday.

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The Israeli military said on Monday it had achieved “total air superiority in the skies over Tehran”.

More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out air strikes in the Tehran area on Wednesday morning, targeting a production facility for uranium enrichment centrifuges among other locations, according to an earlier statement from the military.