Over the past few days, Israel has seen an upsurge of violence: first isolated and unprovoked Arab attacks on ultra-Orthodox Jews, and worshippers returning from Ramadan services clashing with police in Jerusalem’s Old City. Then a Jewish extremist group marched through the city, waving banners reading “Death to Arabs,” and attacked an Arab home—after which Arabs began to riot. Not to be left out, Hamas and its affiliates have resumed the violent protests at the Gaza border fences, and fired dozens of rockets and mortars at villages in southern Israel. Khaled Abu Toameh explains what Palestinian leaders, focused on the upcoming elections for the Palestinian parliament, have to gain:

The Palestinian factions, . . . specifically Fatah and Hamas, seek to use the issue of Jerusalem as a distraction from the internal problems and challenges they are increasingly facing on the eve of the elections.

Israeli authorities . . . evidently underestimated the calls made by the factions and their leaders over the past few weeks to turn Jerusalem into a battlefield for “constant clashes” with the Israeli security forces and “settlers.” . . . The demonstration organized this past Thursday by far-right Jewish activists outside the Old City was used by the leaders of Fatah, [which governs the West Bank], as an excuse to escalate the violence. It was portrayed by the Fatah leadership as part of an attempt to “storm” al-Aqsa Mosque and the homes of eastern-Jerusalem residents.

The issue of Jerusalem is of significant importance to the Palestinian Authority and Fatah leaders, particularly in light of accusations that they have done almost nothing to assist [its] Arab residents or “thwart Israeli conspiracies” against the city and al-Aqsa Mosque.

Hamas and the Gaza-based factions, meanwhile, are also trying to cash in on the Jerusalem riots ahead of the elections. The rockets fired into Israeli territory over the weekend were aimed to show the Palestinian public that these factions are also involved in the “battle” against Israel in Jerusalem. . . . Like Fatah, Hamas is also hoping to use the issue of Jerusalem as an excuse to divert attention away from its failed governance and policies.

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.