The IDF’s 80th Division has succeeded in relative terms in reducing drone weapons smuggling from Egypt, stopping 130 drones that tried to invade Israeli airspace this past month.
If, some years ago, the smuggling threat from Egypt into Israel was mainly related to drugs, in recent years, it has evolved to encompass a heavy weapons component, including weaponry that could make its way to Hamas in Gaza or to the West Bank.
Most of the munitions are produced in Iran or Yemen, according to IDF sources.
IDF intercepting efforts make great strides
Overall, military sources said the army has recently improved its interception of smuggling efforts by around 50%, which means it is possible that the 130 drones stopped last month were among 260 or more, since the 50% is a best guess.
That said, this improvement still marks a step forward after a period when Israel had clearly been on the losing side of this “battle.”
IDF Lt.-Col. “Y” said, “We are acting to strengthen the western [Egyptian] border. The security of the [nearby] residents is the top priority. There are a variety of brigade tools that are being used to combat the drone threat.”
“Tactical forces within the battalion act in coordination with lookouts, advanced identification technologies, and different battle tactics. Their [collective] purpose is to locate and stop any drone that threatens [Israeli] security,” Y added.
“We continue to adapt our activities and train our forces to ensure the security of the residents of the area,” Y stated.
Another IDF official, Capt. “N,” told The Jerusalem Post that “recently, we have carried out excellent operations to thwart [the drones] using various [classified] means and forces in the field,” and that “we are always training to prevent terror attacks.”
“We learned from October 7 that even if the threat is not right in front of our eyes, it is always there, and so it is important to always be prepared for it,” N said.
IDF sources estimate that before the military improved its capacity, along with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the police, to combat the issue, many thousands of weapons had already been smuggled into Israel via drones.
Part of the improvement has involved a larger number of air force, IDF intelligence, and Shin Bet personnel working more directly on site in a jointly run command center with the IDF’s 80th Brigade, led by Commander Brig.-Gen. Israel Friedler.
Notably, many of the drones, though small enough to avoid hi-tech radar detection, are no longer cheap or straightforward; they can cost anywhere from NIS 40,000 to NIS 130,000.
While on some days, as few as one or two drones launched from the Egyptian side of the border might cross into Israeli airspace, on other days, as many as 20 drones can cross the border from different locations at various times.
Eighty-five weapons, including 16 heavier guns and 66 lighter rifles, have been intercepted recently during Israel’s new campaign to improve its capacity for stopping drones.
Some of the launched drones come from as far as nine km. away from the border on the Israeli side or as far as two km. away on the Egyptian side to avoid detection.
This means that even when the military – or less frequently, Egypt – downs drones, the success is usually tactical, not strategic. Put differently, it is the drone that is caught, not the person launching it. These individuals are generally nowhere near the scene.