Iranian state media reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intercepted an armed Orbiter drone over Tehran, an advanced Heron drone over Karaj, and a cruise missile near Qazvin.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the destruction of multiple armed aerial threats deep within Iranian airspace late Wednesday night, including drones and a cruise missile, according to state-aligned media.
The state-run news agency IRNA, which serves as an official mouthpiece for the Iranian government, reported that the IRGC issued a statement detailing the defensive actions. According to IRNA, the military force claimed that "an Orbiter drone last night at 23:50 in the sky of Tehran and an advanced Heron drone in the sky of Nazarabad, Karaj" were intercepted and destroyed while both were armed, "before conducting operations."
The local news channel Tehran Today also published the IRGC's Public Relations statement. A dispatch from the channel further noted that a cruise missile was intercepted in Kuhin, Qazvin. Both sources attributed the successful interceptions to the IRGC's "new advanced defense system" operating under the control of the country's integrated air defense network.
These interceptions occur against the backdrop of direct, ongoing hostilities. On March 16, a massive wave of US and Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian military infrastructure and air defenses in Tehran, Shiraz, and Kharg Island, prompting Iran to launch hundreds of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. The Orbiter and Heron systems intercepted over Iranian airspace are notably of Israeli design.
The source messages from IRNA and Tehran Today contain identical texts from an IRGC Public Relations press release. The mention of 'Orbiter' and 'Heron' drones strongly points to Israeli military hardware, aligning with the provided background context of ongoing direct confrontation, though the Iranian sources do not explicitly name Israel in these specific short bulletins.