In 2015, Saudi Arabia organized an alliance of Sunni Arab states to aid the Yemenite army in fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who had seized the country’s capital in the previous year. What has come to be called the Arab Coalition includes Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The alliance has suffered military setbacks and has been riven with internal discord—yet if it can overcome these problems, writes Irina Tsukerman, it could become a beneficial force, and the U.S. can help by aiding it to focus its sights on Hizballah:

Elite and well-trained, Hizballah in Yemen has been tasked [by Iran] with transforming the Houthis into a medium-sized army capable of sophisticated operations around the world, with the Houthis quickly gaining in weapons and skills what they lack in experience. . . . Hizballah’s growing presence in Yemen may compel U.S. forces and the CIA to increase counterterrorism [operations there] and unite the fractious coalition members around the common threat. U.S. involvement has been limited so far to gathering intelligence, deploying Green Berets (who help identify missiles the Houthis are using against Arab Coalition forces and Yemeni and Saudi civilians), and countering al-Qaeda and Islamic State, [which also have a presence in Yemen]. . . .

Fighting Hizballah has become a Trump-administration priority, particularly as recent revelations have demonstrated [the organization’s] extensive presence in Latin America, collaboration with drug cartels, and infiltration into the U.S. Hizballah likewise is playing a damaging role in Syria, alongside Iranian forces. . . . Bahrain is not immune to infiltration, and Hizballah, . . . with the help of Iranian diplomats, . . . is arming the North African separatist Polisario Front, which threatens Morocco’s territorial integrity and sells illicit arms to other unstable countries. . . .

Iran relies on strong, flexible, and resilient non-state proxy groups like Hizballah. . . . Until now, the Arab Coalition and the West have been playing whack-a-mole with terrorists, occasionally freezing accounts, arresting key figures, or blowing up bases. However, [facing] the clear strategic vision of Hizballah’s expanse across many continents and countries, the Arab Coalition together with the U.S. and its allies can join forces to combat this encroaching threat. In so doing, they can deal a mortal blow to the Islamic Republic itself, severing the source of financing to its remaining proxies.

Rather than being distracted by differences and short-term, parochial goals, . . . the partners should work to create a NATO for the Arab world. The Arab NATO would be a military and security alliance dedicated to defense and insulated from economic, diplomatic, or political disputes. Such a system would also survive rival personalities and leadership changes. The U.S. can play a vital role in the training, strengthening, and support of the nascent Arab NATO, which should also cultivate willing and capable partners against common enemies. Hizballah’s role in conflicts that threaten everyone concerned would be a great place to start.

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.