JERUSALEM — An Israeli drone company said Wednesday that the Defense Ministry has suspended some of its export licenses to one of its clients abroad.
Aeronautics issued a statement to the stock market saying exports of the Orbiter 1K to a “significant client of the company” were suspended. It did not name the country, but said it expects the measure to be lifted following a probe by the ministry.
Israeli media identified the country as Azerbaijan. Reports said the move came following a complaint the “suicide” drone armed with explosives landed near an Armenian military post during a demonstration.
Aeronautics denied the reports Wednesday.
“Aeronautics has never carried out demonstrations on live targets, and that was true in this case as well,” the firm said.
There was no official comment in Armenia to the reports. But the chairman of the parliament’s foreign relations committee, Armen Ashotyan, told The Associated Press that if confirmed it would be both a violation of Israeli law and of humanitarian norms.
“Against the background of a marked intensification of contacts between Israel and Armenia, both at the interstate and public levels, we hope that the competent authorities of Israel will carry out their investigation to the end,” he said.
