On October 9, Nikki Haley announced that she would be stepping down from her position as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations at the end of the year. Ruthie Blum, taking stock of Haley’s time at Turtle Bay, judges that the former governor of South Carolina has lived up to the high standards set by her predecessors Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Jeane Kirkpatrick, and suggests that “she has managed to rattle the midtown-Manhattan snake pit in a way that no one before her has.”

[Haley] not only served as a proud and fierce defender of American interests in the world, but did so in her own dignified and powerful voice. Indeed, she made the office her own. It is an accomplishment whose significance cannot be overstated. . . .

Unlike most people on their way out of a job, she did not slack off for a second. If anything, she upped her game. Her farewell speech at the monthly meeting of the UN Security Council on December 18 was just as memorable, if not more so, than her previous addresses. The gist of her words . . . was that the Palestinians have been abused by their leaders and misled by members of the international community.

The UN’s disproportionate obsession with Israel, she said, has “sent a loud and false message to the Palestinians that they just might be able to achieve their goals by relying on the UN, rather than through direct negotiations. And it has sent a loud and accurate message to the Israelis that they can never trust the UN. . . .

“As for the American people, we have demonstrated time and again our commitment to peace in the Middle East. We will continue to offer our hand in friendship to the Palestinian people, whom we have financially supported far more than any other country has. The Palestinians have everything to gain by engaging in peace negotiations. But . . . the world must know that America will remain steadfast in our support of Israel, its people, and its security. That is an unshakable bond between our two peoples. And it is that bond—more than anything else—that makes peace possible.”

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.