Foxbat?

This is coolbert:

The last time something like this occurred was over forty years ago?

Reconnaissance aircraft [a UAV in this instance] able to penetrate Israeli airspace while on an intelligence gathering mission. The UAV in this case not escaping but downed after being successfully tracked and intercepted.

The last such similar occurrence I can remember reading about was from the early [?] 1970's. Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat warplane, the Soviet Air Force reconnaissance version making a single high-speed pass at high altitude over Israel, the aircraft subsequently written off as scrap, the engines so heavily damaged. So is the lore and apocrypha.

Thanks to YNet the details:

1. "Downed drone: Iran testing Israel's capabilities"

"Unmanned aircraft shot down by F-16 jets in south Israel was apparently launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah, or perhaps even by the Iranians themselves"

2. "IAF shoots down suspicious aircraft in northern Negev"

"Unmanned, unidentified aircraft infiltrates Israeli airspace Saturday morning; IAF fighter jets intercept aircraft shortly thereafter; IDF: Aircraft did not depart from Gaza or carry explosives"

Drones [UAV] as used by Hezbollah not that totally unknown but not common. This is way beyond the capability of a drone as launched by Hezbollah given the range, the distance and path traveled, the reconnaissance type of UAV perhaps even providing real time data indicative of higher level sophistication and technology not normally associated with Hezbollah. Iran??

coolbert.