On Thursday, May 2nd, the militia known as Saraya al-Ashtar announced an attack on the headquarters of an Israeli logistics company in Eilat. The company targeted was Trucknet, which has shipping routes across the Middle East.
Eilat is in the southernmost city of Israel that extended on the coast of the Red Sea.
“The Islamic Resistance in Bahrain announces the targeting of the headquarters of the company responsible for ground transportation on the Zionist entity, in the city of Umm al-Rashrash in occupied Palestine, on Tuesday, April 27, 2024, using drones in support of the Palestinian cause and in solidarity with our resisting people in Gaza,” Saraya al-Ashtar declared.
The militia threatened to continue its attacks against Israel if the latter does not stop its current offensive in Gaza. According to pro-Iranian media, the drone reached the “depths of the occupying entity”.
It is the first time this group joins the Iranian-backed attacks on Israeli targets since the Gaza offensive began. In nearby Yemen, the Houthis have carried out attacks in the Red Sea and Hezbollah has been attacking Israel from southern Lebanon. It also marks the first time a Bahraini actor enters the scene.
According to the US Department of State, Saraya al-Ashtar, or the al-Ashtar Brigades, is a Shia Muslim militia based in Bahrain. Previously, the US has sanctioned some members of the group. It was designated in 2018 by the US Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
Saraya al-Ashtar aims to overthrow the Bahraini monarchy. It is also designated as a terrorist organization by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
The name, al-Ashtar Brigades, comes from Malik al-Ashtar, an important figure in Shia Islam. He was a loyal supporter of the Hashemite clan and rose to prominence during Ali’s reign. His nickname, al-Ashtar, is due an eyelid injury received in the battle of Yarmouk.
Saraya al-Ashtar has been accused of attacking Bahraini police and security forces in recent years. It has claimed up to twenty attacks. The worst attack was in March 2014, when two Bahraini police officers and an Emirati soldier were killed.
Saraya al-Ashtar emerged on April 27th, 2013. At the time, it had just split form the February 14th Coalition—the oldest Iranian-backed militia in the country. When Saraya al-Ashtar had officially declared its foundation, it released a statement attacking the al-Khalifa monarchy for its “oppression and crimes”.
Weapons Used in the Eilat Attack
When examined generally, it appears that a locally assembled kamikaze drone was used in the reported attack. Additionally, it can be said that the drone is based on the ‘Sayyad’ loitering munition of Iranian origin.
These drones are also used by Iranian-backed groups such as Ansar Allah and sometimes take regional names such as ‘Samad’. However, ‘Saraya al-Ashtar’ does not specify a name for this particular drone.
These drones are normally reported to have an operational range of more than 1,500 km, in which case a drone launched from Bahrain can easily reach Eilat. Yet, other than that, there is not much clear and confirmed data about the drone used by the group in this recent attack.
@Militant Wire, https://www.militantwire.com/p/weapons-analysis-kamikaze-drones?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=490119&post_id=145140472&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=b4hiz&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email