While it is not yet clear whether Jerusalem will go through with possible plans to apply its sovereignty to portions of the West Bank, EU diplomats have already warned that their countries might respond to such a move with sanctions or even the breaking of diplomatic relations. Eyal Zisser comments:

The EU doesn’t care about the Palestinians whatsoever. Its concern for international law, which it says Israel is violating, also isn’t a top priority. After all, the EU is indifferent to the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, and Brussels doesn’t typically care about Tibet and Western Sahara either.

Israel, however, is always seen as an attractive target to flagellate, for the purpose of winning Arab and Muslim brownie points. Beyond that, the EU still abides by its decades-long fixation whereby the Palestinian issue is the key to solving all of the Middle East’s ills. And while the Europeans don’t care much about the levels of poverty and distress throughout the Middle East, they are worried about the waves of immigration flooding their continent, due to unrest and instability in the Arab world, and are convinced that reprimanding Israel will help them turn the tide.

This, therefore, is a profound European undercurrent that even an arrangement with the Palestinians isn’t likely to reverse. Israel’s relations with these European countries will inevitably return to normal, as there are enough mature leaders in Europe—for example, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel—who are attentive to Israel and its problems and are cognizant of Europe’s own interests in maintaining ties with it. But we can assume that the bureaucrats in Brussels, supported by several European countries, will wait for the next opportunity to kick Israel.

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.