An Israeli drone on display. Photo: Zachi Evenor via Wikicommons.

Israel’s military censors have lifted a ban on reporting the country’s use of armed drones, an official said on Wednesday, ending an open secret by admitting that the armed forces have unmanned attack aircraft and have used them.

For years, the military had allegedly used armed drones in targeted killings in Gaza and the West Bank and to attack targets in Lebanon and Iran — reports never confirmed by Israel, which had previously barred all publication of news on the issue.

A statement from the military censor said that after consideration of the issue, “it was found that there was no impediment to publishing the IDF’s use of armed UAVs as part of its operational activities.”

Israel has one of the largest drone fleets in the Middle East and is among the region’s biggest exporters of drone technology, but most of its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) are unarmed reconnaissance aircraft.

The war in Ukraine and the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan have underscored the vital role played by both unarmed reconnaissance UAVs and attack drones in destroying tanks and other armored vehicles.

The Bayraktar drone developed by Turkey has been particularly successful, becoming a byword for a shift in the balance of battlefield advantage in favor of relatively low-cost drones over heavy armor.

In April, the German parliament’s budget committee gave the green light to funding for the acquisition of missiles to be fitted to the German military’s fleet of Heron TP drones, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries.

A censorship officer said that while a generalized ban on reporting the existence of armed drones had been lifted, reporting specific technical details or operations would still be subject to review before publication could be approved.