After carefully summarizing how the British Labor party fell into hands of the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, anti-American, and pro-terrorist Jeremy Corbyn and his followers, Robert Philpot considers the danger that America’s Democrats could be headed toward a similar devolution. For Labor, Philpot shows, the turning point came under the prior leadership of the comparatively more moderate (and Jewish) Edward Miliband, who “abandoned the pro-Israel line that had characterized the premierships of [his predecessors] Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and . . . shifted wholesale into the anti-Israel camp.”

Miliband’s regular attacks on much of the domestic and foreign-policy record of the government of which he had been a member helped give credence to Corbyn’s later rhetorical assault on the Blair years as a triumph for “neoliberal” economics at home and American-led military adventurism overseas. That assault opened the door to the new leadership’s own hard-left alternative agenda and also cast those associated with the former government as complicit in this apparently shocking enterprise. . . .

As Senator Bernie Sanders releases videos labeling Gaza a prison camp and, together with some of his fellow aspirants for the Democratic party’s presidential nomination, shies away from denouncing those in their ranks who propagate nakedly anti-Semitic tropes, some in America have detected the creeping onset of Corbynism. They are right to do so. [In the case of Labor], seemingly marginal figures with views and values far removed from the party’s mainstream were at first ignored, then tolerated, and, finally, legitimized, with devastating consequences. . . .

Wresting Labor back from the grip of the hard left may now be impossible or, at least, a task that will take years to accomplish. The Democrats, however, still have an opportunity to learn from it. First, ignoring or appeasing the views of those who appear to be fringe figures is a dangerous risk. In uncertain political times, and with the opportunities provided by the “alternative” media, marginal individuals can—if they go unchallenged—take their ideas mainstream with far-reaching consequences.

Second, disregarding the hard, unglamorous and largely thankless task of political organizing comes at a huge cost, as Labor moderates have discovered. . . . Third, any critique of the far left or objections to it should be rooted in values and principles and should not be focused solely on electability. The latter critique can, as happened to Corbyn’s critics after [a near-electoral victory] in 2017, fall apart all too quickly.

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.