Israel’s security forces and regulators have failed to adequately confront the threats posed to public safety by the emergence of drones, according to a comptroller report released today.
“The significance is that there exists a vacuum in the areas of responsibility and authority, and as a result there’s no way to give an adequate response at the national level to the threat of drones that originate in the State of Israel, which raises the risk of harming state security,” the report says.
A soldier in the IDF’s Combat Intelligence Corps inspects a new drone purchased by the military for company commander. (Screen capture: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
While the Israel Defense Forces is clearly expected to handle drones flown by terrorist groups, it is unclear which security service is responsible for the UAVs being flown by Israelis inside Israel. The army sees this as the police’s domain, as it is a civilian matter, while the police see it as the army’s since it is responsible for securing the country’s airspace.
According to the Civilian Aviation Authority, Israelis currently own approximately 20,000 drones that are used for everything from taking overhead videos at weddings to assisting rescue workers to locate people trapped in collapsed buildings.
— Judah Ari Gross
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