Inexpensive fiber-optic drones are challenging Israel’s high-tech defenses, shifting the military balance in the Middle East.
A recent video showing an explosive-laden drone striking an Israeli Iron Dome battery couldn’t have been more symbolic: Israel’s famous air-defense system, which cost billions of euros, looked powerless against a small aircraft that cost a few hundred euros.
While the video’s authenticity has not yet been verified, experts believe it is genuine.
The footage was published about a week ago by Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based pro-Iranian militia, which Germany, the US and several Sunni Arab states have classified as a terrorist organization.
The drone strike, if genuine, would mark propaganda victory for Hezbollah and reveal a significant vulnerability in Israel’s military capabilities.
I’ve been wondering about this for a while, but what does it cost to maintain the iron dome when your batteries are depleted and the missiles are on backorder? It’s not like literally anyone else is fielding this equipment, so what happens when the only customer suddenly needs a tall order every week?
Under normal economic conditions, a tamir missile costs about $80k, and a shahed drone costs about $30k (and dropping). These are not normal conditions, and I expect that Israel is going to have spotty coverage in the coming years.
The worst part is that I’m sure Netanyahu and his ilk have priced all this in and agreed that the casualties and long-term dependence on foreign funding and ordnance is a fair trade for the additional territory. I really hope the Israeli people disagree.
I think that’s the point when they take it to the ‘negotiating table’ and try to keep what they’ve taken.
Having said that Israel has a large multilayered antiair defense that isn’t just iron dome. They have SPYDER, helps with the APKWS, and it’s own CIWS systems, plus they are rushing SMASH Hopper (AI driven improvised gun mount). Which isn’t to say your point is wrong, they will run out.
Also these last several years has turn people and their political leaders off Israel, which I mention as it just compounds the economics of this. Israel needs a functioning economy and foreign aid to sustain it, but has been turning off it’s partners. Although yes, the US seems to be an exception in this, mostly from a leader stand point.
You mean America’s Iron Dome.
How arrogant the Israeli leadership was to think it couldn’t happen to them when it’s been happening on the Ukrainian battlefield for a few years now. With Iranian-made drones no less.
Hell, it happened to Armenia, with Israeli-made drones.
Seriously, given how interconnected all these conflicts are, I’m convinced we are in WWIII,
No one said it has to have more deaths than the last one to be considered a world war
So who exactly is the allied vs axis
It’s Axis vs Axis this time.
The footage was published about a week ago by Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based pro-Iranian militia, which Germany, the US and several Sunni Arab states have classified as a terrorist organization.
And where’s the parenthetical comma for Israel?
Israel, the arpartheid Jewish ethnostate, has been globally condemned for its violation of human rights and massive bombings with civilian casualties, is currently invading Lebannon in an effort to expand its territory.
The difference is Hezbollah isn’t a country…
If the conflict was a couple rational countries, then making your distinction makes sense. But Iran and America’s governments are just as bad as Israel’s.
If you give a parenthetical for Israel you have to do it for America and Iran.
Hezbollah is the odd one out, because they don’t have soverign soil to be attacked, a pretty important difference
If your goal is informing your readers, the fact that Israel is invading Lebannon is easily as important as a comically detailed explanation of how terroristy Hezbollah is.
If your goal is sanctioning violence done by state actors–a common feature of corporate media–you´d do what they did here.
the fact that Israel is invading Lebannon
Is because Hezbollah is based there…
I’m defending Israel, this is a (not even rare) situation where every government (and non state militant organization) is a piece of shit their citizens would be better off without.
That shouldn’t be hard to understand, but there’s a weird amount of pro-Iran accounts the last couple months, and they just won’t understand it
Equating a settler colonialist fascist state with a resistance group born out of resisting that ethnic cleansing is actually insane
I´m talking about the difference between journalism and propaganda; you don´t think it’s a little weird to come away from an article like this knowing Hezabollah is a terrorist organization according to Germany, the US, and several Sunni Arab states, but not that their country is currently being invaded with tanks?
but not that their country
Non state organizations do not have their own country’s…
Hezbollah is based in Lebanon and Lebanon is being invaded, that is not the same as Hezbollah is being invaded.
Like, you’re mad at an explanation in the article but you obviously need the explanation…
Missing my point entirely. Good day.
Didnt lebanon elect hazbalah though?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Lebanese_general_election
Tldr:
They have 15 seats when 65 is needed for a majority.
Is it weird that a political party is openly aligned with a militant non state organization?
Yep.
But it still doesn’t mean Hezbollah is being invaded, or that they’re Lebanon’s government.
Lebanon is being invaded, and a large amount of them never signed up for this shit.
Right, none of them did, that is why Israel is engaging in war crimes.
I did see footage of a drone attacking an Iron Dome site. Looked legit for what it’s worth. Literally flew right up to it. Unfortunately no footage of the aftermath from what I saw. Must have been quite the explosion though. Anyway, this is hopeful news. Let’s hope they keep this up and force Israel to back the fuck off.
Literally flew right up to it
Because you don’t see the 99.99% that were stopped at the defenses, that’s why a “swarm attack” would be so devastating.
It’s basically the attack scene from Zion in The Matrix. A steady flow of (relatively) inexpensive attack drones. Most will fail, for a very very long time nothing gets thru. But eventually one slips thru or defenses need to reload, but one slips thru and hits something.
If it hits something important, it’s now easier for every single one to get thru.
This was likely just proof of concept.
Send a wave out, aim at something random, and don’t stop till one gets thru. That is invaluable Intel for when/where to aim a swarm attack. They don’t need to breach everywhere, just one small section bearing insurmountable odds.
It would turn Iran into a super power on the world stage
Let’s hope they keep this up and force Israel to back the fuck off.
I don’t see the same connection here that you do. A failure of Israel’s defensive weapons would require them to go on the offensive. The status quo from before the October 7 attacks was tolerable to Israel because they could shoot down incoming threats but if they no longer can, they must neutralize the ability of their enemies to launch those threats.
