In a roundtable discussion, Hillel Frisch, Eytan Gilboa, Gershon Hacohen, Efraim Inbar, Eran Lerman, Max Singer, and Joshua Teitelbaum discuss the importance of keeping Israel’s capital unified, how that unity can be ensured, and how it can be securely maintained. According to Lerman:

The carving-up of Jerusalem . . . is impossible to implement, no matter how ardently some may wish for it to be done. It would constitute a disastrous retreat from basic Zionist verities and Jewish imperatives. It would tear apart Israeli society. It would reverse the remarkable achievements of nearly 50 years of Israel’s custodianship of the unified city—a custodianship not free of failures and blemishes and yet impressive in its outcome.

Jerusalem today is a city of nearly a million residents, a joy to behold, alive with active social and cultural life. [Dividing] it would ultimately do nothing but harm to the lives of most of the Arab Jerusalemites—who already know how much better they are doing in comparison with their brothers across the PA line. . . .

Therefore, Israeli policy must be directed quietly and confidently at perpetuating Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, even if a proper [designation] of where the city [limits] end, and some unnecessary accretions begin, may be open to discussion.

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.