At the UN General Assembly in New York last Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu challenged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect and report on evidence of Iran’s continued violations of the 2015 nuclear deal. Specifically, the Israeli prime minister pointed to the archive of documents pertaining to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear-weapons program that was discovered and acquired by the Mossad earlier this year, as well as to additional clandestine sites whose existence had not yet been made public. Amnon Lord comments:

Netanyahu . . . revealed that some fifteen kilograms of radioactive material was dispersed [among various locations in] Tehran. Netanyahu advised the residents of the city to buy Geiger counters . . . to ensure they were not affected by the radiation. But the big question is what the IAEA’s Director General Yukiya Amano is going to do now that he is aware of the secret nuclear warehouse [in Tehran] that Netanyahu unveiled, which could potentially store some 300 tons of radioactive material. . . .

Netanyahu has once again stated in public that the nuclear deal was based on a lie that had received a stamp of approval by the IAEA. As was the case in the press conference several months ago, in which he exposed the existence of the nuclear archive, on Thursday the prime minister showed more evidence corroborating Iran’s intent to develop nuclear weapons. It will be hard for Amano to ignore the challenge. . . .

But Netanyahu’s most vociferous attack was on Europe. “Think about this: the same week Iran was caught red-handed trying to murder European citizens, European leaders were rolling out the red carpet for President Rouhani, promising to give Iran even more money,” Netanyahu said. . . .

Netanyahu’s speech was different from his other addresses before the UN General Assembly. As before, he provided damning evidence against Iran and built a case like a well-trained prosecutor. . . . But he also managed to do something that no other Israeli public advocate or frankly anyone else has been able to do on the world stage: he has made a compelling case for nullifying the nuclear deal, managed to make the case for the policy adopted by Israel and the United States, and to convey his message in a convincing manner.

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.