Two decades ago, the critic Harold Bloom argued that, under the guise of various Christian denominations, the vast majority of Americans actually believe in a uniquely American faith that centers on finding the godliness within oneself. Ross Douthat revisits Bloom’s arguments in light of rapidly changing social mores:

[S]ocial liberalism simply would not be advancing so swiftly, on so many fronts, in our still-God-obsessed republic if it did not have a clear spiritual dimension as well. That dimension complicates the predictable attempts to analyze recent social trends in terms of “secular liberalism vs. conservative religion,” to say nothing of “science vs. faith.” . . .

Bloom’s book, written two decades ago, carried the subtitle “the emergence of the post-Christian nation,” which lets you know where he stood even back then, and his view of things is shared by many conservative Christians nowadays. Because I don’t think that a post-Christian point has arrived, my own preference is for the language of “heresy,” which captures American religion’s divergence from Christian tradition but also its continued dependence on Christian structures and habits and ideas. But that dependence clearly diminishes the further the advance of Americanization proceeds. So at some point, absent a snap-back or correction, Bloom’s subtitle will be fully justified, and the American religion will deserve a post-Christian name. But I won’t say that I hope to live to see it.

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.