PM Netanyahu holds security discussion. Illustrative. Photo courtesy of Amos Ben-Gershom (Israeli GPO).
The week after the latest major flare-up in the Israel-Gaza conflict, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Gaza attempted to infiltrate Israeli air space on Saturday, but was shot down by the IDF. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “an attempted infiltration by a UAV from the Gaza Strip into the State of Israel.”
Noting the drone was “UAV was successfully intercepted,” Netanyahu went on to say the Israelis are already planning for future threats.
“I would like to inform you that the Security Cabinet has held several discussions on the UAV threat. This is a new, developing and significant threat,” said Netanyahu in comments released by his office. “We are developing technological and other tools to defeat and counter this threat.”
The Times of Israel reported that no explosives were found on the drone, the remains of which were captured by Israel. Citing a Channel 12 report an IDF spokesperson did not immediately verify, The Times of Israel said the UAV had crossed into Israeli territory.
The incident follows a major upsurge in Gaza violence. On November 12, the IDF assassinated Islamic Jihad senior commander Abu al-Ata and in response Islamic Jihad launched hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians.
The Times further noted that two different drones from Gaza had been downed last month. On Sunday, Netanyahu said in his comments that he had assigned the task of countering the drone threat to the Chairman of the National Security Council, along with together with the “various arms of the security agencies.”
Said Netanyahu, I estimate that we are capable of achieving results here, as we did with the active defense of Iron Dome [missile defense system], and be the best in the world, in order to provide the citizens of Israel with maximum defense.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, November 24, 2019)