After losing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives due to 2020 census data, the state of Michigan developed a new congressional-district map, which was released to the public on December 28, 2021. Within hours of the release, two incumbent U.S. House members from Michigan—Representative Andy Levin and Representative Haley Stevens—both announced that they would be running in the newly formed 11th congressional district. It will be the most Jewish district in the state. As Dmitriy Shapiro notes, the race will be of particular interest to pro-Israel groups:

For the national pro-Israel community, the race pits two distinct political positions on America’s relationship to the state of Israel, with Levin, who is Jewish, reflecting the far-left progressive stances of J Street; and Stevens, who is not Jewish, representing the traditional pro-Israel perspective that has long been a consensus among Democrats and Republicans in Congress. . . .

In Congress, Stevens has supported further sanctions on Hamas through the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act. She also co-sponsored a piece of legislation that seeks to extend and encourage the benefits of the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab nations. [Jeff Mendelsohn, executive director of Pro-Israel America,] said that when supplemental funding for the replenishment of defensive Iron Dome interceptor missiles was taken out of a spending package by Democratic leadership after members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus threatened to vote against it, Stevens was one of the members of the House to press leadership to support a standalone funding bill, which passed overwhelmingly. . . .

Meanwhile, Levin has stood up against accusations of anti-Semitism against progressive members in the House of Representatives—namely, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, an American with Palestinian ties who represents a neighboring district.

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.