Hezbollah’s attack on the Binyamina military base not only left four people dead, but also raised concerns about the effectiveness of Israeli air defense. According to the IDF, Hezbollah sent four drones, three of which were actually shot down by the system known as “Iron Dome.” No one understands, however, what happened for the fourth drone to reach its target and cause such chaos.
Although the presence of said drone was reported and appeared on security radars, its disappearance led us to believe that it had fallen to the ground or that it was another type of flying object among the many who populate the Israeli sky without assuming any threat. . The fact that the anti-aircraft alarms did not even sound is particularly worrying, as is the fact that, according to data from the Israel Times, 221 of 1,200 drones launched against Israel by Iran or its militias escaped surveillance by defensive systems. Approximately, we would be talking about one in six.
Given that in recent months we have seen the great importance of drones in modern warfare, Israel cannot afford such oversights and Yoav Gallant, Minister of Defense, has already assured that what happened will make the subject to investigation and that any errors will be corrected. Experts fear that a massive, simultaneous drone attack could cause a saturation of air defenses if Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran itself agree. Of course, the fact that this has not happened so far indicates a lack of coordination or a lack of confidence in the success of the maneuver.
Drones are difficult to detect and easy to acquire devices. They do not require huge expenses and can be found quite quickly in the market. It’s also not easy to destroy their launch bases, since they don’t need to exist. During this year of war, Israel demonstrated enormous facility in detecting projectile launchers and destroying them through selective bombing. With drones, it’s not that simple. Strictly speaking, they can be launched from anywhere.
Stop the bombing of Beirut
It remains to be seen to what extent this possible failure of Israel’s anti-aircraft system emboldens the Iranians or makes Netanyahu think twice about the strength of his announced response to the attack two weeks ago. In the United States, they are satisfied with the steps taken by Israel since the Prime Minister and President Biden spoke last week. Their involvement in the UN intervention forces in Lebanon is limited, which is why the greatest criticism of the attacks on them by the IDF has come from European countries such as Italy, France, United Kingdom and Germany.
The United States does not want open conflict in an area where it has a very high number of bases and deployed soldiers who They could become targets of the Iranians or related terrorist groups.. In this sense, they see as a sign of pacification the fact that Israel has not attacked Beirut for four days and that this Monday an order signed by Netanyahu himself was made public in which the IDF is asked to cease bombings and any intervention. your prior authorization.
Biden has insisted on demanding that high-density urban areas, like the Dahiya neighborhood, stop being bombed. According to state media Kan, the decision was made unilaterally, without consulting or warning the rest of his government cabinet members. It remains to be seen whether this is a lasting decision over time, whether it is a temporary agreement or whether it is simply a coincidence since the IDF has fulfilled its objectives in the area. . The relationship between Biden And Netanyahu The situation has been very turbulent over the past two years and the shadow of Donald Trump, with his warlike rhetoric, is long.
Attacks continue in Gaza
Where Israel has not stopped attacking is in Gaza. This Monday, a new attack took place near the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir-Al-Balah, south of Gaza City. The bombing hit refugees camping in the hospital parking lot and caused a fire that killed five people and injured sixty-five, according to Doctors Without Borders. Israel claimed its target was a Hamas command center, which had been destroyed.
Monday also saw an attack on a school where several families were taking refuge and which, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, killed at least 23 people. Israeli bombing of northern Lebanon also continued, as did maneuvers in the south, this time without confrontation with UN-deployed forces. On Monday evening, the Israeli War Council met to continue debating options for a counterattack against Iran and the UN Security Council, to which UNIFIL depends, and where harsh criticism of the actions of ‘Israel are expected.
