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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down an advanced Israeli-made Hermes 900 drone this Wednesday over the Lar area, in Fars province, southern Iran, and warned that any new aerial incursion would receive a "decisive response," reported EFE.
The IRGC described the downing as a response to a "flagrant violation" of the two-week bilateral ceasefire agreed upon between the United States and Iran, which had only been in effect for a few hours after being announced by President Donald Trump on Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The Revolutionary Guard was explicit in its warning: the entry of any American or Israeli aircraft into Iranian airspace, even without active military operations, will be considered a violation of the agreement and will provoke an armed response.
The Hermes 900 drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle for reconnaissance and attack manufactured by the Israeli company Elbit Systems, capable of long-duration intelligence and surveillance missions.
Its presence on Iranian territory during the truce was interpreted by the IRGC as a deliberate provocation, highlighting that the ceasefire does not mean the end of Israeli surveillance operations over Iran.
The ceasefire was conditioned by Trump on the complete and immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed on March 4 blocking 20% of the world's oil and leaving 2,000 ships and 20,000 sailors stranded.
The truce was mediated by Pakistan, with support from Egypt and Turkey, and came after forty days of the Epic Fury Operation—launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel—which destroyed more than 5,000 Iranian targets, 90% of its missile capabilities, and 95% of its drones, in addition to nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
The drone incident occurred amid other simultaneous tensions: Israel intercepted Iranian missiles over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv hours after the truce announcement, and the United Arab Emirates reported being targeted by 17 ballistic missiles and 35 Iranian drones since the ceasefire began.
In parallel with the military escalation, diplomacy is making slow progress.
Iran presented a ten-point plan on Wednesday as a counteroffer to the 15-point plan sent by Washington through Pakistan, which Tehran described as "excessive and unacceptable," emphasized EFE.
Trump accepted the Iranian proposal as "a viable basis for negotiation" and stated that the peace agreement is "in a very advanced stage."
Formal negotiations between both parties are scheduled for next Thursday.
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