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.
It seems that Iron Dome,like the Patriot, are desgned for the last war, not the current war. Asymmetric deployment of volumes of small&cheap units will overload these systems, or at least cost your opponent too much.
Even aganst peer weapons thay are onlyildly successful. In Ukraine the patriots have intercepted Kinzals,bit will never be able, nor cost effective against Oreshniks (as the split too early)
trump’s first thought…“They shoulda went widda gold dome”.
You mean America’s Iron Dome.
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.
Thats what America a is there for
what does it cost to maintain the iron dome when your batteries are depleted and the missiles are on backorder?
Iron Dome is specifically for short range rockets and mortars. David’s Sling is intended to defend against ballistic missiles like those used by Iran. The Arrow System is intended to counter ICBMs as part of a constellation of US based anti-ballistic systems. I’m not sure that last one has been used in more than test shots
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, helos 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.
They’re certainly making an impressive go of it, but I don’t see anything in their arsenal that’s going to survive sustained attacks.
SPYDER is so comically expensive that resisting long range drones will bankrupt the country, and automated turrets, while much better from a price per kill perspective, simply don’t have the range of other solutions (hundreds of meters at best rather than 40km of SPYDER or 5km of iron dome).
A better solution for the drones in the OP might be the new Rheinmetall platforms with airburst ammunition, but I’m not sure Israel can procure those in the numbers necessary to cover their defenses or infrastructure.
Rheinmetall platforms with airburst ammunition
There’s a reason you might not want to be firing shrapnel explosives over the heads of your own citizens.
But hey, it’s Israel. Maybe they don’t give a shit.
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.
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
I’m convinced we are in WWIII
I’ve heard people speculate that it’s more like WW5 or 6, depending on how you want to count global conflicts between superpowers.
But from the US perspective, we’re a far cry from the kind of Total War we engaged in during the 40s.
This war only feels existential if you’re on the receiving end.
So who exactly is the allied vs axis
It’s Axis vs Axis this time.
After getting away with genocide in Gaza and the assadination of Nassrallah, they got arrogant and thought Hizbollah was not for
Hell, it happened to Armenia, with Israeli-made drones.
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.
Hezbollah is not a militia, it is a party.
Also DW is the only german medium that is state funded
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…
It would be fair to mention that Israel is led by a wanted war criminal, if you are going to use language to demonise and delegitimise one side the other side should be treated in a balanced manner.
The fact that the war Israel is currently being led by a war criminal is important because it makes the reader question whether the decision to invade Lebanon is just as it is being done by a known and wanted war criminal.
It would be fair to mention that Israel is led by a wanted war criminal
So is America and Iran…
It’s not any different, if anything you should be arguing everyone involved is terrible.
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.
none of them did,
I legitimately don’t know what you’re referring to…
that is why Israel is engaging in war crimes
They were doing war crimes before they attacked Lebanon
It feels like you understand “Israel bad” but none of the actual facts or details. That’s very dangerous because billionaires are gonna point you
You need to understand more than “Israel bad” that’s not enough.
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.
I don’t know why you would assume that they would go further on the offensive.
All studies, publications, and reports show that if Israel didn’t have protection from retaliation, that they would be opposed to offensive operations if they experienced even a fraction of the horrors that they commit on others.
https://jewishcurrents.org/iron-dome-is-not-a-defensive-system
https://www.amacad.org/publication/daedalus/new-technologies-strategic-stability
Israel always wanted to be in perpetual conflict to continue it’s expansion. Conflict means the need to have superior firepower and defensive capabilities which help continue perpetrating it’s genocide unabated - it’s what Bibi pushed for these many decades.
https://www.972mag.com/netanyahu-hamas-october-7-adam-raz/
But if you take away the superior defensive capabilities and the risk of continued aggression (which is why there was opposition to funding the Iron Dome in the US) then Israel would think twice about it’s expansionist policies.
A failure of Israel’s defensive weapons would require them to go on the offensive.
Yes, but it will also require them to use alternative forces on defence, and it will also induce many Israelis to leave. This will create financial and manpower shortages. This might induce even more depraved behaviour in the short term, but I guess that’s a risk Iran & Co. are willing to take to ensure long-term peace.
A failure of Israel’s defensive weapons would require them to go on the offensive.
According to themselves, a day ending in y would require them to go on the offensive.
This is all a conflict of choice for them and the US and, if damage to the dome has any effect on them (which it probably won’t, since they’re so far gone down the colonialism genocide spiral), it would be to make them more cautious due to their own people being more vulnerable to consequences of their state terrorism.
It’s a new kind of war when one of your best defences is a jar of pickles.
