HR Prompts Telegraph to Fix Iranian Drone Confusion

The Daily Telegraph‘s initial story on the Israeli interception of an Iranian drone and the subsequent downing of an Israeli F-16 made a real mess of the facts and the timeline.

Israel sent a helicopter gunship, not an F-16 to intercept the drone. The downed F-16 was on a subsequent mission shortly afterwards to strike Iranian military targets in Syria.

Here’s a reminder of the timeline courtesy of the IDF:

Here’s a quick summary of today’s events, from the #Iranian UAV to our large-scale strike against the #Syrian air-defense. The IDF will stand guard against any further attacks. pic.twitter.com/ntoHRiv1Z6

— Jonathan Conricus (@LTCJonathan) February 10, 2018

Following a tweet and email to Telegraph editors, the text was amended to more accurately reflect events:

Simon Plosker

With over two decades of experience in various non-governmental organizations in the UK and Israel, Simon Plosker returned to HonestReporting in October 2022 as Editorial Director having previously been part of the organization’s management team from 2005 to 2020.

Prior to his first spell at HonestReporting, Simon worked in Israel for NGO Monitor, BICOM, and served for a short period in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. He was Managing Editor of the Geneva-based NGO United Nations Watch for two years before moving back to the frontline defending Israel from media bias.

Simon has a BSoc.Sc in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Birmingham and an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics. He immigrated to Israel in 2001 from London.

HR Prompts Telegraph to Fix Iranian Drone Confusion

Simon Plosker

Discover More

“Cockpit Clash” & “Pilot Brawl”: The Media’s Grotesque Distortion of the Attempted Flydubai Hijacking

HR on X: Our Top X Posts for September 2026

When a Bottle of Wine Becomes a Crime

Get clear, reliable Israel news and tools to fight media bias.