Thursday, December 30 2021 12:49

ArmInfo.Israeli Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit and the  Prosecution Economic Crimes Division on Wednesday filed an indictment  with the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court against Aeronautics  drone-maker and three of its senior officials for violating export  laws regarding a purchaser. This is reported by Cursor with a link to  jpost.com.

According to the source, a gag order was placed on all details  relating to the case, presumably because the buyer is a country with  whom Israel has sensitive relations or that exposure of details could  harm Israeli drone sales to other foreign buyers.

Both in 2016 and 2019, there were reports of Israeli weapons being  used in Armenia, with a 2019 report by Channel 12's Nir Dvori saying  that Armenia had shot down an attack drone from Azerbaijan only to  later learn that it was designed by Aeronautics.

In February 2019, The Jerusalem Post's Anna Ahronheim reported that  Aeronautics had won a $13 million contract relating to its Orbiter  drones, only two weeks after its export license was reinstated -  likely following developments in the current case.   Aeronautics opened a factory in Azerbaijan in 2011 and in 2017 the  Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ranked Azerbaijan as  the third-largest purchaser of Israeli arms at $137 million.  The  case takes on an even higher level of importance as one of the two  current main 50% co-owners of Aeronautics is Rafael, one of the three  largest Israeli defense companies and with a quasi-governmental  status.  Reports said that a deal between the parties includes an  unspecified fine and community service, but no jail time and that the  file remained open for an extended period while the sides haggled  over the deal's terms.

Aeronautics is based in Yavneh, and its CEO Moshe Elazar (who is not  a suspect) was previously a top official at Rafael.

Rafael, which paid half of the NIS 850 million purchase price two  years ago, said in response: "The indictment refers to events  involving officers of the company that took place a long time before  it was acquired by Rafael, and none of the current officers of the  company has any part in the affair."

As mentioned above, Aeronautics opened a plant in Azerbaijan in 2011.   Azerbaijan made extensive use of Israeli drones during the  large-scale aggression against Artsakh in April 2016 and autumn 2020.