Air Defense Fires at IRIB Drone Near Khamenei's Office

Following reports of air defense firing at an unidentified flying object near the office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, the Deputy Governor of Tehran announced that the object was a small aerial imaging device belonging to IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) flying over Jomhouri Street, which is "a no-fly zone." ILNA news agency reported on Friday morning, December 24, that some Tehran citizens had contacted the agency to report hearing "continuous gunfire" in the areas of Fatemi, Amirabad, Enghelab, and Sattarkhan streets. Hours later, the Secretariat of the Tehran Security Council announced that at 9:45 AM on Friday, air defense fired at a "helicopter drone" in the vicinity of Enghelab Square. Several websites, including Asr Iran, reported that this "helicopter drone" or UAV was shot down near the office of the Supreme Leader, known as the "Leader's House." Meanwhile, the Iranian Army stated in a statement that this "quadcopter," which had flown over Tehran without coordination, was targeted by the Army's air defense command. Hours later, the Deputy Security Governor of Tehran stated that this "helicopter drone" belonged to IRIB and was attempting to capture aerial footage of the Friday prayers in Tehran but had "ignored the no-fly zone and entered this area." According to ISNA news agency, Mohsen Hamdani added that the team responsible for flying this drone should have been aware of the geographical coordinates of the area and the no-fly zone, which they failed to do. Mr. Hamdani also mentioned in an interview with Tasnim news agency that Jomhouri Street "is considered a no-fly zone." Institutions such as the office of the Supreme Leader, the judiciary, and the Guardian Council are located in the vicinity of Jomhouri Street and Hoveyzeh Square. The Friday prayers in Tehran are also held at Tehran University on 16 Azar Street near Enghelab Square. The Deputy Security Governor of Tehran also announced that the wreckage of the drone has not yet been found due to its small size, making it difficult to locate. Mr. Hamdani emphasized that this incident "was not a security issue at all, and the Tharallah Headquarters of Tehran is also following up on it." The Tharallah Headquarters of Tehran is one of the security bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran, tasked with "managing the security of the capital and other cities in Tehran province."