On Sunday, a gun-wielding Palestinian opened fired at a bus in Jerusalem not far from the Western Wall, injuring eight—including five Americans. Nadav Shragai comments on the attack’s significance:

An attack near the Western Wall is a strategic one that endangers not only the lives of Jewish citizens and worshippers but the very Jewish presence in the Old City.

Every year, about 10 million Jews visit the holy site, which can be accessed through three points: David Street (through the market), Hagai Street (through the Musrara neighborhood and Damascus Gate), and public transport that passes through Dung Gate, which is where the shooting occurred. A terror attack near the Western Wall was intended to undermine the Jewish presence in the Old City. As such, the response must be strategic.

In recent years, Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the Western Wall have been used to unite Arab Israelis and Arabs in the West Bank, Gaza, and east Jerusalem for a common goal: to push the Jews out of Jerusalem, its holy sites, and Israel in general. Sometimes it is done through organized terrorism. Other times, it’s lone terrorists. The method might change, but not the goal.

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.