BICOM

What happened: The IDF shot down a Hezbollah drone attempting to enter Israeli airspace on Tuesday afternoon.

• The drone, identified as a quadcopter (a small device with four rotors), was intercepted near the community of Zarit close to the Lebanese border.
• Afterwards the IDF said the drone was being tracked and monitored long before it reached the border.
• Earlier this week Syrian sources reported on the latest air strike in the Damascus area.
• According to the Syrian reports the target was a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the Saida Zeinab district.
• According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, two Hezbollah operatives were killed in the air strike.
• The Saudi Arabian Al-Arabiya network claimed the target was an Iranian anti-aircraft battery that had recently been deployed near the international airport in Damascus.
• In a separate and unusual incident last week, an Irish UN peacekeeper was killed and several others wounded after their convoy was shot at whilst driving through the town of Al-Aqbiya in southern Lebanon.
• The Irish Defence Forces said in a statement that a pair of armoured vehicles carrying eight Irish UNIFIL peacekeeping troops were fired on last Tuesday night.
• Footage from the incident showed the convoy coming under machine-gun fire, with one of the vehicles subsequently losing control and overturning.
• The UN confirmed that one peacekeeper was killed as a result of the gunfire and have opened an investigation.

 

Context: Hezbollah’s use of drones has increased over the last few months, in the summer drones were dispatched to film Israel’s off shore gas rig, prior to the Israel-Lebanese maritime agreement.

• The IDF is thought to have several methods for downing drones. In the past it has deployed fighter jets, helicopters, the Iron Dome system, their own drones or electronic jamming. They did not reveal which technology was used on this occasion.
• In addition, Hezbollah operatives have continued to raise their presence on Israel’s border, they have increased their patrols and openly monitor and document Israeli troop movements.
• Hezbollah has also set up dozens of lookout posts along the border.
• Hezbollah is also continuing efforts to strengthen its presence in Syria. Last week it was reported that the IDF attacked a Hezbollah facility in the area of As-Suwayda, in the south-west of Syria, not far from the Israeli border.
• Following that incident the IDF dropped leaflets in the area, warning Syrian military personnel against continuing to allow Hezbollah to operate in the area.
• Iranian attempts to smuggle advanced weapons continues both by air to various Syrian airports, and also via land, through Iraq and Syria.
• In a rare revelation last week, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi confirmed that Israel was behind an attack on a weapons shipment on the Iraqi-Syrian border last month.
• He revealed that in a convoy of 25 fuel trucks Israeli intelligence had identified the eighth vehicle as containing weapons.
• As well as thwarting the smuggling, Kochavi’s comments highlight Israel’s intelligence and operational capabilities.

 

Looking ahead: Responding to the attempted drone infiltration the IDF said it will continue to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty.

• There are serious concerns, based on Israeli intelligence information, that Iran is looking to establish a new weapons route direct to Beirut airport. Israel has passed on warnings that it would not hesitate to bomb the airport. This would be a dramatic development, and it’s unclear how Hezbollah and other actors would respond.