Israel’s inner security cabinet held a five-hour meeting Sunday night focused on the emerging US-Iran deal, as well as the growing threat posed by explosive drones launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon.
During the session, a heated argument erupted between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich over the proper response to the drone threat, Ynet reported.
According to the report, Netanyahu demanded protective solutions and pressed the IDF to accelerate an effective response to the escalating danger.
Smotrich expressed his opposition to relying primarily on defensive measures, telling Netanyahu, “We can’t endlessly defend ourselves. We need to bring down 10 buildings in Dahieh in response to every drone.”
Netanyahu objected, saying: “What exactly are you proposing? That every time there’s a drone, we demolish 10 buildings? And if there’s a drone from Gaza, we demolish 10 buildings in Gaza? And if it’s from Yehuda and Shomron, we demolish 10 buildings there? And if it’s a drone from a crime family, we demolish 10 buildings in Ramla?”
Smotrich responded: “Absolutely yes. Wars are won through deterrence and exacting a price. Defending ourselves endlessly is October 6 thinking. Show me where you want to stretch the protective nets across Israel’s skies — over Kfar Saba? Maybe Ra’anana too, or only Ramla and Lod?”
During the tense discussion, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir updated Netanyahu and the ministers on the death of Sgt. Nehoray Leizer, H’yd, from an explosive drone. Zamir said he supports a harsher response to the drone threat in order to restore deterrence.
“You can’t operate with tweezers,” he said, referring to strikes on buildings. “A different equation must be created, including strikes on buildings in Beirut and Tyre to deter the enemy.”
Earlier Monday, Smotrich visited the Civil Administration in Yehudah and Shomron to inaugurate the “Rimon” land registration system.
During the visit, he addressed the drone threat, saying: “This week I approved a massive budget of around two billion shekels for technological solutions to the drone threat. Among other things, the funding will allow civilian bodies to offer outside-the-box solutions and ideas. But the truth is that drones won’t be defeated through defense alone — only through offense.”
“Ten buildings in Beirut should fall for every explosive drone. A strategic threat cannot be answered only with defensive measures, but by changing the rules and the equation. We cannot spread protective nets over the entire State of Israel, nor cover it with automatic machine guns. We cannot defend ourselves endlessly. Imposing a disproportionate and deterrent price on the enemy must be part of the effort to protect our soldiers.”
Israel’s actions in Lebanon are currently limited by the “ceasefire” between Israel and Lebanon declared by the Trump administration, a situation that may worsen if the emerging Iran-US deal is signed.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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One Response
Netting seems similar to the traditional “barrage balloons” used in the world wars. If you are in the business of making interceptors to shoot down drones, such low tech, low cost weapons are a seriously threat to your business model.
Retaliation (Smotrich’s idea) would backfire. To a large extent, Hezbollah and Hamas are agents of the Iranians, and are occupying Lebanon and Gaza. Blowing up Beirut to stop Hezbollah would make as much sense if the Allies were to destroy French cities to “retaliate” against the Germans using bases in France to bomb England (as if the Germans objected to Paris getting bombed).
Defeating Hamas, Hezbollah and especially Iran would help, but after the inability of the IDF to occupy all of Gaza, and to bomb Iran into surrender, this doesn’t seem to be worth taking seriously (not to mention, Israeli is dependent on the United States, which won’t support that).