Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has shot down an Israeli spy drone over the Iranian sky before the unmanned aerial vehicle reached Natanz nuclear facility.

The IRGC’s Aerospace Force has intercepted and shot down an Israeli spy drone, the IRGC announced in a statement on Sunday.

It added that the stealth and radar-evading spy drone intended to reach the nuclear facility in Natanz, but was targeted by a surface-to-air missile before it reached the area.

“This mischievous act once again reveals the adventurist nature of the Zionist regime [of Israel] and added another black page to this fake and warmongering regime’s file which is full of crimes,” the IRGC statement said.

The statement emphasized that along with other Armed Forces, the IRGC is fully and strongly prepared to defend the Islamic Republic’s territory and airspace against any aggression and reserves the right to respond in kind to such moves.

Iran’s nuclear facilities have always been a regular target for espionage activities by US and Israeli secret services, which have at times used drones for this purpose. However, all efforts made to this end have been successfully thwarted by the Iranian military forces.

On December 4, 2011, the Iranian military’s electronic warfare unit announced that it had successfully downed the American RQ-170 reconnaissance and spy drone in the eastern part of Iran with minimal damage.

The RQ-170, an unmanned stealth aircraft designed and developed by the Lockheed Martin Company, had crossed into Iran’s airspace over the border with Afghanistan.

The drone was one of America’s most advanced spy aircraft and its loss was considered a major embarrassment for Washington.