The threat was demonstrated last November, when operatives believed to be part of al-Qaeda tried to shoot down a plane full of Israeli tourists as it took off from an international airport in Kenya.

ECONOMIST: The shoulder-held threat | The

He was on one of the ships, was shot by -- was strafed by the fire from the planes coming in, and yet still had the presence of mind to shoot down a plane, and won the Medal of Honor -- or was awarded the Medal of Honor for that.

WHITEHOUSE: Online Town Hall

An FBI source told CNN that the agency is investigating Cuban defector Juan Pablo Roque as a possible conspirator in the shoot-down, which killed two men on each plane.

CNN: Cuban shoot-down may have been planned

Iran has claimed to shoot down or capture a string of American drones, and last November, an Iranian fighter plane fired at a drone, missing.

WSJ: Obama Sets Timeline on Iran Nuclear Bomb