Tel Aviv: In an overt act of provocation, Lebanon sent drones into Israel’s airspace where one of the drones conducted a bombing raid on a house in the Israeli city of Caesarea at the weekend. Writing in the Israeli paper Haaretz, described the apparent main target of the attack being the residence of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu although his house was not harmed.
The IDF said three drones were flown from Lebanon, where two were shot down while a third went undetected and exploded in a building in Caesarea. Damage was suffered to the structure but there were no deaths on the staff in the building.
Explosions in Caesarea: Investigation Underway
People from Caesarea said they heard a blast after the collision. Military investigators have commenced an investigation into the attack and, more specifically, the inability of the Iron Dome missile defense system to shoot down the third drone with local police forces also launching an investigation into the attack. Some of the Israeli local television stations have expressed fears that the drone was able to infiltrate the Israeli airspace, and cited instance where it flew near a military helicopter.
Claims from the survivors included that much damage was done by the blast from the drone with shrapnel that fell across the buildings close to the scene of the explosion. It is reported that the drone started and traveled for about 70km from Lebanon before ending up in the Caesarea building.
IDF Investigates Iron Dome’s Malfunction
The IDF admitted the failure of the Iron Dome to intercept the third drone and said that it will be conducting an investigation into the cause of the failure of the system. Alerts were given especially in the northern Tel Aviv and around the militaries in Glilot as the drone drew close to Israeli territorial frontier. What the public realized is that the drone remained airborne for almost one hour prior to launching its attack.
Israel’s local media outlets also shared that there are probes into why the air raid alerts, signaling threats approaching the country, were not sounded immediately.
Escalating Conflict On The Israel / Lebanon Borders
This attack has occurred when conflicts have escalated along the Lebanon and Israel border, and cross-border operations have been on a high. The evidenced employment of drones in such attacks poses a threat to the Israeli leadership given highly-guarded personalities such as the PM may be easily compromised by relatively inexpensive and easily-operated vehicle platforms.
This way, investigations persist with concern with the security failures and with the effectiveness of the Iron Dome, and other air defense systems of the Israeli state in the prevention of further drone penetrations.