An American Plane Surveys Gaza on Behalf of Israel Funded by London

SadaNews - In a controversial development revealing undisclosed aspects of the British role in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, intelligence reports have unveiled that the British Ministry of Defense has enlisted a private American company to carry out aerial spying missions on behalf of Israel, amid struggles faced by the Royal Air Force (RAF) due to a shortage of aircraft.

According to the British newspaper "The Times," the government turned to "Straight Flight Nevada Commercial Leasing LLC," a subsidiary of the "Sierra Nevada Corporation," to operate a reconnaissance aircraft similar to the "Shadow R1" used by the Royal Air Force. However, a technical error described as "childish" led to the leakage of the aircraft's flight path, revealing that it conducted an aerial sortie over the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on July 28, sparking a wave of political and military criticism in London.

The aircraft, operated by the American company and not piloted by British pilots, was previously used by the U.S. military in Iraq. Sources within the Ministry of Defense confirm that the British government funded its operation, despite the ministry's reluctance to comment publicly, citing the sensitivity of the mission.

According to sources in the Royal Air Force, all eight British "Shadow" aircraft are currently not stationed at the British base in "Akrotiri" in Cyprus, either due to foreign missions or for maintenance purposes, prompting the ministry to outsource, an unusual step in such precise intelligence operations.

This involvement comes at a time when the British Foreign Office has shown firmer stances towards Israel, previously hinting at the possibility of imposing sanctions in light of the brutal treatment of Palestinians, raising sharp questions about the coordination between the political and military arms of the government.

For her part, Helen Maguire, spokesperson for defense affairs in the Liberal Democrats, expressed her deep concern over the implications of this step on British sovereignty, stressing that "relying on foreign companies for intelligence missions raises questions about the readiness of the air force and the government's failure to invest in its own surveillance capabilities."

Maguire added that the government must ensure "that British information is not used in military operations that may contribute to human suffering within Gaza," especially in light of reports confirming the continuation of reconnaissance missions despite the absence of any British hostages in the sector, except for one Israeli hostage whose mother holds British nationality.

The "Palestine Deep Dive" platform was the first to detect the American aircraft flying in southern Gaza, before Canadian analyst Stefan Watkins confirmed that its operational flight commenced from the "Akrotiri" base on July 20, explaining that the crew's failure to turn off the transponder allowed it to be tracked easily.