Known to Ashkenazi Jews primarily from a Yiddish expression (“as cupping helps a corpse,” describing something not at all helpful), the folk-medicinal practice of cupping has recently received public attention because of its use by the Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. The treatment can be traced back to ancient Egypt and China, and archaeologists have found evidence that it was used in ancient Israel as well. Megan Sauter writes:

Vessels like [the] small, hollow, bell-shaped cup [found at Masada] were used for the medical treatment of cupping, [which involved] placing heated cups on the skin to improve blood flow. . . .

Masada [was] a desert fortress in the Judean wilderness near the Dead Sea that was occupied by Jewish rebels during the first Jewish revolt (66–73 CE). The [cupping] glass was found in the destruction layer of 73 CE—when the Romans defeated the rebellion—with several coins inside, a clever hiding spot that remained concealed for nearly two millennia until the Israeli archaeologist Yigael Yadin uncovered it in the 1960s. [The archaeologist] Amnon Ben-Tor suggests that the rebels may have been using this therapy during their confinement in the fortress. Another scholar who studied the cupping glass, however, believes it belonged to a Roman physician and was taken as loot by the rebels, who hid it with the accompanying shekels.

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.