In February, four members of a Europe-based organization that advocates for the rights of the Arab minority in southwestern Iran were arrested in Denmark, accused of terrorism and spying for Saudi Arabia. One of them faces similar charges in the Netherlands as well. To Irina Tsukerman, these appear to be trumped-up allegations against genuine human-rights activists:

Both Denmark and the Netherlands have engaged in lucrative business dealings with Iran and were strong supporters of the [2015 nuclear deal] and opponents of the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement. Both states have built pharmaceutical factories and plants in Iran; in Denmark’s case, an insulin-factory agreement was concluded one day before the arrests of the activists. Both Denmark and the Netherlands [also] pride themselves on their human-rights records, yet they make it exceptionally difficult for refugees and other immigrants to obtain citizenship. This means that three of the four . . . face possible deportation to Iran in the event of their conviction.

Furthermore, [in the summer of 2018], these very same people were dealing with security concerns of their own. Three [of the] Denmark-based activists were targeted by a Norwegian-Iranian assassin who has since been charged with their attempted murders. [The fourth], meanwhile, was being spied on by an Iranian agent from Sweden. . . . This was not Iran’s first attempt to assassinate dissidents; nor will it be the last. The regime targeted opposition groups all over Europe in 2018 and succeeded in assassinating another [Iranian-Arab] activist in the Netherlands in 2017.

Why did Iran switch gears and decide to go through legal and political channels to bring down its adversaries rather than hunting them down? [It] realized that putting pressure on European governments would make the Islamic Republic appear clean and yield the desired results while shifting scrutiny onto its adversary, Saudi Arabia. For that reason, Iran leaned heavily on Denmark to arrest the . . . activists.

The European domestic media are all too happy to regurgitate Iranian propaganda talking points without delving into how and why Iran has so much sway over their countries’ political and law-enforcement priorities.

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.