For Israel, the satellite will be able to track events in Iran, the country it considers its top foe, even at night and in cloudy weather, defence officials said. They said the TECSAR satellite was of particular importance for Israel because it could be used to keep tabs on Iran’s nuclear programme, which the US and Israel fear was a cover for pursuing nuclear weapons. The satellite, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, operates with a special radar system, allowing it to view much more than existing Ofek satellites that use cameras, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the press.
