“The drones are back”: The IDF recently removed a system deployed to counter smuggling drones crossing from Egypt into Israel, and a security official in one border community said that “just three hours later, everything returned.” Meanwhile, the military is also confronting aerial smuggling using attack helicopters. As recently as Thursday, two drones were intercepted in the area.
According to the official, “When attack helicopters are active in the north, the smuggling shifts back to us. Here we can’t operate the same way because the communities are right along the border. There are efforts to stop the drone smuggling, but we still don’t see an end in sight.”
1 View gallery
Preventing weapons smuggling at the Egyptian border using a drone
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
Describing how attack helicopters operate against drones, Maj. Y., an attack helicopter pilot, said “every target behaves a bit differently, and we are in a learning process.” He explained that “from the moment air controllers vectored us to a nearby target, our senses sharpened and we went on alert. We flew straight to the target and identified it visually.”
“Immediately after the first interception, we were directed to another target,” he said. “We briefly reviewed the new method, what could be done better, and intercepted the second target within minutes. We are defending the country’s airspace and doing what is necessary.”
The interception of the drones, two days ago
(Video: IDF Spokesperson)
An air control officer, Lt. Y., added that “our job is to detect and thwart drone and UAV infiltrations into our territory.” He said that “as soon as I saw the drones approaching, I quickly scrambled the attack helicopters and ground forces and directed surveillance assets to close the loop as fast as possible.”
At a Knesset discussion about two months ago, it was revealed that nearly 900 drone smuggling attempts from Egypt into Israel took place in the three months preceding the session. The surge is clear: during that period, 896 smuggling attempts were recorded, compared with 464 during the same period in 2024.