Military expert Elias Hanna said that the problem in dealing with the drones lies in monitoring and pursuing them, unlike regular or ballistic missiles, pointing to an Israeli effort to search for solutions to deal with them after concluding a huge deal.
Hanna explained – in his speech to Tel Aviv Tribune – that the drones are capable of maneuvering and flying under Israeli monitoring means, in addition to the possibility of resorting to a specific tactic such as drowning and distraction in one place and launching them in another.
He explained that the drone differs from the missile, as the latter falls when it is monitored by air defense systems, while the drone changes its course when it is detected.
The military expert spoke after monitoring 5 marches that flew for a period of time in northern Israel, and sirens sounded non-stop until south of Haifa.
Hanna said that there are several means of monitoring, such as visual, audio, and electronic means, but nevertheless, “the drones remain flexible, and dropping them over a residential area may lead to significant collateral damage.”
He stressed that “there is no solution to bring down the marches except what modern technology may bring,” and added: “There must be devices different from the system adopted by Israel.”
In this context, he pointed out the Israeli government’s request from advanced technology companies to find a solution to this dilemma.
Last Monday, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced the signing of a “huge deal” to increase the production rate of the Magen Or laser air defense missile system, to be used as a complementary capability to the “Iron Dome” system, to begin operating within a year.
According to the (official) Israeli Broadcasting Authority, “The Magen Or system is a powerful laser system for air defense from the ground against rockets, mortar shells, drones, cruise missiles, and others.”
In this context, Hanna said that the laser has difficulties such as power factors and the ability to produce energy, adding that the problem always remains in monitoring and pursuing drones.
The military expert touched on Israel’s recent deployment of “a machine gun with 6 nozzles and 6,000 rounds per minute dating back to the 1960s,” in an attempt to repel and bring down the marches.
Hanna believes that the launch of the marches is a direct translation of the speech of the new Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem.
He touched on previous cases in which Israel faced difficulties in dealing with drones, such as the bombing of the Golani Brigade camp in Binyamina, Haifa, and the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea, and the bombing of a factory for producing aircraft and drone spare parts in Nahariya.
On Wednesday evening, Hezbollah said that it carried out “an attack with specific missiles and drones targeting the Ein Shemer base, east of Hadera, and gatherings in Camp Eliakim, south of Haifa, and the Shraga base, north of the city of Akko.”
The party indicated in a statement that “the enemy was unable to confront the missiles and drones that flew for a period of time over the occupied Palestinian territories.”
On the other hand, Israeli media said that the Israeli Air Force was trying to confront five drones launched from Lebanon, while Israeli Army Radio quoted an Israeli source as saying that “the drones that are being searched are flying at an unprecedented speed.”
The radio added, “Warplanes and helicopters participated in intercepting marches launched from Lebanon.”