Israel Confronts Drone Challenges With AI and Multilayered Defense Strategies
Gaps in Israel’s air defense systems are under scrutiny after recent drone strikes targeted military and civilian areas
In recent months, Israel has faced an escalating threat from drone attacks targeting both military and civilian areas. Some of these attacks have occurred without the activation of warning sirens, raising concerns about the effectiveness of Israel’s existing alert systems.
On Monday, a drone, likely launched from Yemen, exploded on the top floor of a residential building in Yavne, central Israel. The incident caused no injuries, but notably, no warning sirens were activated prior to the explosion.
Two months earlier, on October 13, 2024, a Hezbollah drone strike on a military base near Binyamina resulted in the death of four soldiers. The attack also did not trigger air defense alerts, prompting questions about the reliability of Israel’s detection systems.
Similarly, on July 19, 2024, a drone struck an apartment building near the US Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring several others. The Yemen-based Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack. An Israeli military official acknowledged that the drone was detected, but no alarm was raised due to “human error.”
These incidents highlight vulnerabilities in Israel’s air defense systems, particularly against drones. While the Iron Dome has been effective against rockets, its performance against drones has shown limitations.
Seth Frantzman, a Middle East security analyst and author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machines, Artificial Intelligence, and the Battle for the Future, explained that Israel has a variety of systems to counter enemy drones.
“For large drones—those comparable to small airplanes—you can use air defense systems like the Iron Dome, which intercepts them much like it intercepts rockets. Israel has also used navy ships equipped with remote-controlled weapons, such as heavy machine guns or cannons, to shoot down drones. But when it comes to smaller drones, like quadcopters, the challenge is very different. These are harder to detect and require specialized systems,” he told The Media Line.
Frantzman said that Israeli companies have developed systems that combine various technologies to detect small drones. “Once detected, there are several ways to neutralize them—jamming their signals, using laser-based systems like Rafael’s Light Beam, or even deploying fire-control systems like those from Smart Shooter, which can lock onto a drone and shoot it down,” he said.
The enemy is always adapting. … Staying ahead requires continuous improvement in radar sensitivity, interceptors, and other technologies.
These systems are still evolving to keep up with changing threats, he said. “The enemy is always adapting. They’re using new types of drones, attacking from different altitudes or directions, and constantly testing our defenses. It’s a moving target, and staying ahead requires continuous improvement in radar sensitivity, interceptors, and other technologies,” he explained.
Alex Bendersky, an expert on the Israeli-Arab conflict with particular focus on drones and counter-drone technologies, told The Media Line that Israel’s drone defense strategy was multilayered.
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He described the first layer as “electronic warfare,” methods such as GPS jamming used to counter drones.
“Second, we have surface-to-air kinetic defense, like the Iron Dome, which intercepts drones using missiles or laser-based destruction,” he said. “The Iron Dome, originally developed for rockets and artillery shells, has been adapted to handle drone threats.”
The final layer is air-to-air kinetic defense, in which “fighter jets and attack helicopters, such as the Apache, engage larger or long-range drones through direct fire or air-to-air missiles,” Bendersky explained.
Collectively, these layers provide robust protection, countering 94% of hostile drone threats, he said.
Bendersky noted that the primary danger posed by drones lies in their versatility and accessibility. “They can be equipped for reconnaissance, carry explosives for targeted attacks, or act as swarm weapons to overwhelm defenses,” he said.
Their destructive potential includes damaging infrastructure, targeting civilians, and disrupting military operations
“Their small size and low altitude make them harder to detect, while their destructive potential includes damaging infrastructure, targeting civilians, and disrupting military operations,” Bendersky said. “Additionally, their affordability and adaptability allow nonstate actors to deploy them effectively, posing significant security challenges.”
Despite its high success rate, Israel’s anti-drone systems occasionally face challenges, as became clear in cases of direct drone hits and warning system failures.
“Direct hits by drones in Israel and the failure of warning systems result from several factors,” Bendersky explained. “First, drone size and speed—small, low-flying drones are harder for radar to detect. Second, swarming tactics—mass attacks can overwhelm defenses like the Iron Dome. Third, adversaries may employ electronic countermeasures to disrupt detection systems. Lastly, attackers often exploit coverage gaps, targeting weak spots in Israel’s layered air defense.”
These challenges underscore the need for constant updates to Israel’s counter-drone systems, Bendersky said.
When infiltrating drones don’t set off alerts, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they weren’t detected. “Sometimes the radar sees them but classifies them incorrectly—as birds, for instance, or as harmless commercial drones,” Bendersky said. “That’s why classification is so important. The goal is not just to detect a drone but to correctly identify it as a threat.”
The system also has visual identification systems to confirm that aerial objects that aren’t a threat aren’t shot down, he added.
No system can guarantee 100% success against every type of threat
Frantzman said that the few drone incursions that weren’t detected highlight the limitations of the current system. “It’s a constant race to refine detection and response capabilities. But the reality is that no system can guarantee 100% success against every type of threat,” he said.
One area where Israel has made significant progress is the integration of artificial intelligence into its defense systems. “AI is a major part of Israel’s counter-drone strategy,” Frantzman said. “It helps sift through massive amounts of data to classify threats, assist human operators, and even perform automatic target recognition. AI can be trained to distinguish between, say, a teenager flying a commercial drone and someone using a similar drone for malicious purposes.”
He praised Israel’s proactive approach to drone defense. “Israel understood the drone threat early and invested heavily in a wide range of technologies,” he said. “They’ve focused not just on static systems but also on mobile solutions, like equipping armored vehicles with counter-drone systems for operations in places like Lebanon or Gaza. That mobility is key in modern warfare.”
But challenges remain, especially as enemy technology becomes increasingly advanced. “The goal is to stay as close to the curve as possible and adapt quickly to new developments,” Frantzman said.
“Israel has learned a lot by observing conflicts like the war in Ukraine and the use of drones by countries like Iran and China. But the lesson is clear: The threat is always changing, and staying ahead requires constant innovation,” he added. “Whether it’s integrating AI, refining detection systems, or developing new interceptors, the focus has to remain on adaptability and resilience.”
