Hezbollah drone breach exposes critical gaps in Israel's air defense - analysis

A drone that flew over Israeli airspace for nearly an hour on Tuesday night underscores a persistent operational failure in Israel’s defense.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) detected and tracked the drone, prioritizing civilian safety until its location could be confirmed.

While military officials assert they are “closing the gap and achieving successes,” defense industry sources caution: “We are only beginning to grasp the scale of the threat.”

Incident details

On Tuesday night, the IAF identified a suspicious drone entering Israeli airspace from Lebanon. All relevant systems were activated to detect, track, intercept, and apply lessons learned from a recent drone strike at the Golani Brigade Training Base. As a precaution, large areas were instructed to take shelter until the drone’s location could be determined.

Complex challenges

Tracking and intercepting these drones presents a significant challenge due to their Iranian-manufactured origin. These drones, launched by Hezbollah from rugged, hard-to-monitor terrain using mobile launchers, penetrate Israeli airspace swiftly. 

Their low radar signature and low-altitude flights over populated areas further complicate interception, as the IAF must avoid endangering civilians or damaging infrastructure.

A critical operational gap

This operational gap was tragically exposed on October 7, when Hamas operatives used paragliders to infiltrate Israeli airspace undetected, landing in Israeli communities and carrying out deadly attacks.

Initially, the IAF struggled to respond, but additional radars and sensors were deployed over time to improve detection and tracking capabilities.

While new interception methods have been developed, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to stress that there is "no airtight defense." Though numerous drones have been intercepted, the human toll has been severe.

The IAF's Intelligence Division, responsible for anticipating unmanned aircraft threats, also failed to predict the scale of drone and paraglider attacks during Hamas’s “Black Saturday” assault, which was followed by drone strikes from Hezbollah.

Years of structural failure

The long-standing issue of inadequate defense preparedness was highlighted, with both the IAF and the broader IDF unprepared to counter the growing drone threat.

This type of warfare had already been evident in conflicts such as the Syrian civil war and, more recently, the Ukraine-Russia conflict—both fueled by Iranian drones that have also been supplied to Hezbollah.

Security officials acknowledge that “the IDF and Defence Ministry are making considerable efforts to close these gaps and catch up on years of delays,” noting some operational successes.

However, defense experts caution that real progress will be seen only in future conflicts, not the current one. These experts argue that smaller defense industries, along with larger firms, must be engaged, and some responsibility should shift to ground forces.

Closing the gap

Naval reserve officers have suggested expanding the missile boat fleet’s responsibilities to intercepting unmanned aircraft. These vessels’ capabilities could be critical in addressing threats from Lebanon and Yemen.