Israel's "defense minister," who often seems less than pro-Israel, praised the IDF for downing a drone - UPV or UnPiloted Vehicle - after it had been in Israeli airspace for only 30 minutes.
The IDF contends that the drone "probably" was performing electronic surveillance.
Near Dimona.
The IDF reports that it thinks the drone came from someplace other than Aza (Gaza).
That does not rule out the Sinai nor does it eliminate the possibility of a ship-launched attack.
Even though the drone apparently did no damage to anything, the drone's presence was very much an attack on Israel.
Granted, low-flying drones are difficult to detect, but given the payloads they can carry - everything from intelligence-gathering equipment to explosives - it seems that the IDF needs to do better than to allow a half-hour fly over by an drone from an unknown source.
Consider how much territory a high-flying drone can photograph within a half-hour.
Even a propeller-driven drone can send back thousands of images; images that can be programmed into long-range missiles.
Contrary to the defense minister's noise, the IDF was 35 minutes too late in responding to the drone attack. It should - it must - identify and destroy invading aircraft before they cross into Israeli airspaces. (A high-flying reconnaissance aircraft can photograph objects at sufficient angles that the vehicle need not cross over into enemy territory.)
Most people reading this are too young to remember the damage caused by V-series rocket bombs the nazis sent over England during World War Two. The drones, albeit with different engines, can cause the dame damage to Israel if they are loaded with explosives rather than cameras.
The IDF does NOT deserve commendation for downing the drone after "only" 30 minutes in Israeli airspace and the defense minister needs to make that clear to the IDF's commanders. He must stop praising the IDF for failures.
