Iran’s ‘distinctive’ drone deployment sees death toll soar amid violent protests

Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests continued Sunday, with reports of mass killings as demonstrations spread across the country amid warnings of drone surveillance.

The Center for Human Rights in Iran claimed a "massacre was unfolding," while the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported "surveillance drones flying overhead and movements by security forces around protest locations, indicating ongoing monitoring and security control."

"Drones are indispensable reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence tools," military drone expert Cameron Chell told Fox News Digital. "They have given the Iranian government a distinctive upper hand in combating the protests."

"I doubt there will be any use of drones for direct strikes at this point," Chell said. "But I would not be surprised if, beyond surveillance, they were using drones to help position snipers and shock protesters."

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"It does indicate the level of seriousness the government is applying towards the situation."

The full scale of the violence has been difficult to verify due to a near-total internet blackout. Iran’s connectivity to the outside world remained at roughly 1% of normal levels, according to NetBlocks.

The most conservative estimates indicate at least 2,000 people may have been killed across Iran over the past 48 hours, Iran International reported. 

The deaths of 544 people involved in the protests have been confirmed, with dozens of additional cases under review, according to HRANA.

HRANA said more than 10,681 individuals have been arrested and transferred to prisons. Protests have been recorded at 585 locations in 186 cities across all 31 provinces, the agency reported.

Witnesses told Iran International that security forces appeared "overstretched in some areas," relying on intimidation, warning shots and force. 

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In other locations, particularly in southeastern Iran, rights groups said security forces fired directly at protesters in Zahedan after prayers, wounding several people.

Ali Safavi, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, told Fox News Digital that drones were observed over Ferdow Boulevard in Tehran-sar.

"The regime, in fear of the people, deployed drones to monitor and control the demonstrations," Safavi said. "In other areas there were clashes and assaults from the suppressive forces."

Chell, CEO and co-founder of Draganfly, claimed more danger was imminent given Iran’s sudden use of drones.

"Iran would not be unique or advanced by western standards in using drones, but they are advanced in their tactical understanding and effectiveness using them," he said.  "This drone deployment 100% signals more danger as if, for no other reason, it enables the regime to know when and where to deploy resources."

"It helps track specific people or groups who flee protest sites," Chell continued. "They could also be using cells for tracking and listening so they could track protesters' cell phones who were at the protest sites."

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Chell said Iran relies largely on small, domestically produced systems.

"They would have the Bina, which has a smaller reconnaissance drone with a shorter operational range of up to 40 km," he said. "These are typically lightweight, equipped with optical/infrared cameras, used to monitor movement and relay imagery back to ground stations. These are the ones most likely to be adapted for crowd monitoring throughout cities."

Protests that began Dec. 28 over Iran’s economic collapse have evolved into the largest anti-regime demonstrations in years, according to analysts and opposition groups.

"We could see an escalation in the use of intimidation/force multiplier effect of drones and/or the use of tear gas or smoke to help create crowd disbursement," Chell said.

President Donald Trump renewed warnings to Tehran, saying the U.S. stands ready to support protesters and cautioned Iranian authorities against the use of lethal force.

"Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP," he wrote on Truth Social.

Trump also said that protesters appear to be gaining ground in some cities and warned Iranian leaders not to begin shooting demonstrators, saying, "we’ll start shooting too."