Last Thursday, Tawadros II, pope of the Egypt-based Coptic church, came to Jerusalem—the first visit of a Coptic pope since the 19th century. The decision comes on the heels of Tawadros’ gradual easing of his predecessor’s ban on travel to Jerusalem, which has been in place since the Camp David accords. Samuel Tadros writes:

It is the dream of every Copt to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem before one’s death, and for centuries the Copts did. . . . The decision [to ban the pilgrimages] was purely political. . . . Many sins could be forgiven in the Arab world, [the previous pope] presumably reasoned, but visiting Israel is not one of them. . . .

Why did the [current] pope decide to go to Jerusalem? He must have known that he will pay a heavy political price for his decision. But since his ascension to the papacy, Tawadros has shown that once he is convinced of the soundness of a decision, he ignores its political costs. No matter what his calculus might have been, there is no turning back now. Next April, when it is time for pilgrimage, thousands of Copts will make the journey, no matter what the church says officially. Pope Tawadros’ short trip may not be as historic as [President Anwar] Sadat’s 1977 visit to Israel, but for Egypt’s Copts it may prove to be no less significant.

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.