Excavations at Tel Eton—thought to be the city of Eglon mentioned in the biblical book of Joshua—have uncovered what seems to be an ancient administrative center. The archaeologists believe that the city, located southwest of Jerusalem, was the third largest in ancient Judah after Jerusalem and Lachish. Robin Ngo writes:

Tel Eton is a fifteen-acre site strategically situated at a juncture where an ancient north-south road connected the Beersheba valley with the Ayalon valley and where several east-west roads connected the coastal plain with Mount Hebron. Surveys and excavations led by [excavation director Avraham] Faust . . . have revealed intermittent signs of occupation at Eton from the Early Bronze Age (3500–2200 BCE) to the Byzantine period (324–638 CE).

The Tel Eton project has concentrated excavation work on the large town that flourished in the 8th century BCE as part of the kingdom of Judah. During this time, the town boasted fortifications and a large house structure that sat at the mound’s highest point. . . . The Tel Eton archaeologists believe this building was the residence of a Judahite governor in charge of administrative affairs in the region.

On Tuesday, a Hizballah drone attack injured three people in northern Israel. The next day, another attack, targeting an IDF base, injured eighteen people, six of them seriously, in Arab al-Amshe, also in the north. This second attack involved the simultaneous use of drones carrying explosives and guided antitank missiles. In both cases, the defensive systems that performed so successfully last weekend failed to stop the drones and missiles. Ron Ben-Yishai has a straightforward explanation as to why: the Lebanon-backed terrorist group is getting better at evading Israel defenses. He explains the three basis systems used to pilot these unmanned aircraft, and their practical effects:

These systems allow drones to act similarly to fighter jets, using “dead zones”—areas not visible to radar or other optical detection—to approach targets. They fly low initially, then ascend just before crashing and detonating on the target. The terrain of southern Lebanon is particularly conducive to such attacks.

But this requires skills that the terror group has honed over months of fighting against Israel. The latest attacks involved a large drone capable of carrying over 50 kg (110 lbs.) of explosives. The terrorists have likely analyzed Israel’s alert and interception systems, recognizing that shooting down their drones requires early detection to allow sufficient time for launching interceptors.

The IDF tries to detect any incoming drones on its radar, as it had done prior to the war. Despite Hizballah’s learning curve, the IDF’s technological edge offers an advantage. However, the military must recognize that any measure it takes is quickly observed and analyzed, and even the most effective defenses can be incomplete. The terrain near the Lebanon-Israel border continues to pose a challenge, necessitating technological solutions and significant financial investment.