In 70 CE, the Roman general (and later emperor) Titus laid siege to Jerusalem for five months, before breaching its walls and destroying the city. Using contemporaneous sources, an analysis of the data, and archaeological evidence, the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Kfir Arbiv has arrived at a better understanding of how the legionaries did it. Aaron Reich writes:

So far, the excavated [Roman] equipment consists of anything from ballista stones, sling stones, spears, arrowheads, swords, and catapults. In particular, Arbiv focused on the ballista stones: . . . large weapons of the ancient world that could be described as akin to gigantic crossbows—though the crossbow itself was a later weapon. These contraptions used springs for torsion in order to launch either heavy darts or large stones in siege warfare; . . . ballistae could also be described as an early form of artillery, used to take out fortifications and target soldiers.

Arbiv [compiled data about] where the ballistae stones were found and [used it to] calculate where they must have been fired from. This complex series of calculations had to factor in everything from the location of the city walls, the angles used to launch each stone, and what their ranges were and the local topography.

For the Israel Antiquities Authority’s director Eli Eskosido, the findings are significant in helping further validate the records of the siege of Jerusalem. “The physical evidence of the huge resources employed by the Roman army in Jerusalem reflects the extremely harsh battles that eventually led to the destruction of the Second Temple,” he explained. “Notwithstanding the internal factions and the impossible odds, a small group of Jewish defenders withstood the Romans for a few months.”

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.