Ireland’s parliamentary elections, held two weeks ago, are yet to result in the formation of a new government, but there is reason to expect increased official hostility toward the Jewish state, as Herb Keinon writes:

[P]ro-Israel candidates were roundly defeated across the board, while pro-Palestinian candidates enjoyed a good day . . . at the polls. For instance, . . . Alan Shatter, the sole Jewish MP who served from 2011 to 2014 as both justice and defense minister, and who has been the victim of anti-Semitic swipes for his willingness to speak up for Israel, was defeated. . . .

On the other hand, [the newly elected] Gino Kenny . . . celebrated his election victory . . . by waving a Palestinian flag. . . . Another candidate who won, John Halligan, launched his candidacy in January in the presence of the Palestinian Authority’s ambassador, Ahmad Abdelrazek. . . .

[In addition,] the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign asked candidates to commit themselves to working to end bilateral Israel-Irish arms trade, and to suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Of the 551 candidates, 263 gave some level of endorsement to these pledges, and 142 gave their full commitment.

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.