Rotem Meital, CEO of Asgard Systems in Tel Aviv, which develops military technology for the Israeli defense industry, spoke with Maariv regarding the UAV attack that struck a building in Tel Aviv early Friday morning.
Is this a new UAV not seen in the war before?
“It’s important to understand that this is essentially an Iranian UAV operated by Houthi terrorists, not a Houthi UAV," he explained. "Iran began developing its unmanned aerial vehicle industry in 1985, with the goal always increasing its maximum range (to reach Israel and eventually the US) and maximum payload capacity, whether for attack drones or explosive suicide drones targeting infrastructure, military, and civilian targets."
He then added, "The drones Iran develops are like 'Shiite suicide bombers' - they fly and aim to hit their target directly and not to return home, unlike Israeli mission aircraft. Therefore, just like in typical high-tech - a new version of the UAVs are released every quarter and sent to operators in Yemen and the Gulf of Aden, and sometimes to operators in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq."
How is the UAV that attacked Tel Aviv different from the ones attacking Israel thus far?
"We still aren’t sure," Meital said. "We do know that its dimensions, along with its overall shape, are different and most likely larger than the previous one, with an electric engine capable of traveling further distances and carrying heavier payloads as the traditional Mohajer series 10 drones did.
"What we, unfortunately, do know in practice is that the UAV managed to penetrate the detection and warning systems of our air defense, possibly due to a human error and possibly due to flying at an unusually low altitude, which makes it difficult for the radars to detect, pinpoint the aerial threat."
How was the detection, identification, and interception of the UAV supposed to take place?
"Simply put, there are three stages in responding to an aerial threat. The first stage is detecting the threat in our airspace and issuing a warning (detection and alert)," Meital responded.
"The second stage involves classifying the information, understanding that what the system detected is indeed a threat, and identifying precisely what the threat is. Is it a drone, UAV, glider, paraglider, etc. In this case, it was apparently a relatively large UAV.
"The third stage is the actual interception of the threat in our airspace. This can be done using two different techniques: either in the spectrum dimension, meaning through electronic warfare systems (using techniques such as jamming, disrupting navigation and satellite systems, offensive cyber, and more), or through the good old kinetic method, effectively shooting at the threat using an interceptor or automatic gun."
The Houthis have issued a statement claiming responsibility.
"The Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Gulf of Aden are a terrorist and guerrilla organization, a sort of militia (a Shiite-Zaidi terror group) operating in the image of their leader, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, who was killed in 2004 by the Yemeni government due to his extreme threat to the regime," he continued. "The Houthis are effectively an Iranian proxy, acting as one of its geopolitical chess pieces, much like Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the militias in Syria and Iraq - forces that are 'dispensible' and are basically used like low-level pawns in a fundamental Shiite Muslim game of chess.
"The Houthis are generally in conflict with anyone who is not them or Iran. They are at odds with the Sunnis, attacking Saudi Arabia and the UAE; they are in conflict with Americans (and likely targeted the US Embassy in Tel Aviv), and of course, they hate Israel and are extremely antisemitic.
"Apart from gaining attention during the Israel-Hamas War, when the Houthis initially launched missiles and UAVs intercepted by the American destroyer in the Red Sea and later fired drones at Eilat, including at a school in the city, it's important to note that they have been around for quite some time, primarily targeting Saudi Arabia and the UAE until now."
To conclude, do you think we will see an escalation in Houthi attacks on Israel?
"In my view, it is crucial to understand that these attacks are, in truth, Iranian. The Houthis are just a tool and proxy of Iran, with terror resources and weapons supplied by them. Given that Iran has long expressed its hostility towards Israel and has never concealed its intentions, it is likely that we will see an escalation in Houthi attacks as part of Iran's broader strategy."