In a classified discussion held by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, representatives of the National Security Council told lawmakers that the Cabinet had received a warning about a drone threat.
The lawmakers who attended the discussion were not told the precise target of the threat or from which front it was expected to come. However, representatives of the IDF and the National Security Council noted that Israel’s enemies are constantly arming themselves, and that the possibility of a drone attack is troubling and occupying the top levels of the defense establishment.
Concern over the operation of explosive or fiber-optic drones
(Photos: Use under Section 27A of the Copyright Law)
Last month, a senior Israeli official said Jerusalem was planning to announce strict regulations and a ban on drone use, out of concern over the operation of explosive or fiber-optic drones from neighboring countries or from the West Bank, amid the escalation with Iran. According to the official, the matter was discussed extensively in the Security Cabinet. Israeli officials had hoped such a ban would make it easier to deal with the threat. Security officials told ynet then that there was no indication of the presence of explosive drones in the West Bank, and especially not fiber-optic drones.
“There is a very serious threat here, and we have no solution for it,” the official said last month. “It must be said honestly — this is a very serious threat.” The scenarios Israel fears include explosive or fiber-optic drones striking elected officials or institutions.
Two months ago, ynet revealed that the military had identified Iranian efforts to inflame the situation in the West Bank, including by transferring the use of explosive drones, which have caused significant damage to IDF forces in Lebanon, to the West Bank arena. Defense officials explained at the time that the working assumption is that there are not yet active explosive drones in the West Bank, but as a preventive measure, the IDF confiscates every drone detected in the area.