Two weeks ago, a group of over 70 prominent Britons signed a letter urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to conduct a government inquiry into the fact that people of African, Caribbean, and South Asian descent are dying of the coronavirus at a higher rate than whites. But the letter makes no mention of another group disproportionately affected by the pandemic, writes Eliyahu Lann:

Despite being 0.3 percent of the total population, the latest reports state that Jews make up 2.1 percent of COVID-19 fatalities, [i.e., they] are over four times more likely to die of COVID-19 than the general public. There are explanations similar to those [explaining the death rates of other minorities]. Three out of five Jews live in London, the epicenter of the pandemic. Twenty-one percent of Jews are aged sixty-five and above, compared to 16 percent of the general public. However, Jews are healthier than the general population and are less likely to be impacted economically than black African or Caribbean people, as over a third are self-employed.

Studies such as “Evidence Mounts on the Disproportionate Effect of COVID-19 on Ethnic Minorities” in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine and “Are Some Ethnic Groups More Vulnerable to COVID-19 Than Others?” in the IFS Deaton Review, have neglected the British Jewish community as they fail to mention how [its members] are contracting COVID-19 at the same rate or higher than those of other minority communities.

The medical negligence from researchers, UK media organizations, and the UK government fail to inform accurately the wider British public and the Jewish community on the effects of COVID-19.

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.