Israel has spilled the Pulcinella secret, admitting it used drones not only for surveillance but also for strikes inside the country, against Palestinians in Gaza and possibly against targets in Iran or Sudan, Reuters reported.

In July, Israeli censors authorized the publication of information about armed drones, and the chief of the Israeli Artillery Corps, which operates drones along with the air force, used his speech at an industry forum to present the first public report on combat drones.

Whereas in the past one could only hint, “today I can speak of this openly”,  Brigadier General Neri Horowitz said at the annual UVID DroneTech conference organized by Israel Defense magazine in Tel Aviv.

He said combat drones not only provide Israel with additional firepower, but also allow it to both quickly detect and attack targets, such as Gaza's missile calculators, before they can launch.

He reported that when jihadist fighters from Egypt stormed across the border into southern Israel in a stolen armored personnel carrier in May 2012, they were destroyed by a drone strike.

Showing footage of Ukrainian forces using drones to control the shelling of Russian troops, he said: “We have the same application here.”

Israel is expanding its drone force, with 30 percent female personnel, Horowitz said.

At the same conference, Brig. Gen. Omri Dor, commander of Palmahin Air Base, said drones now account for 80 percent of the Israeli military's flying hours. However, armed drone manufacturers are still forbidden to advertise them.

“There are information security concerns,” explained a sales representative for one of the companies, Elbit.

In a separate statement, Economy Minister Orna Barbivai said that drone exports are popular abroad, including among Arab countries, which have become closer to Israel since 2020. She did not specify whether such exports include combat drones.