Netanyahu orders IDF to ‘do everything’ against ‘lethal’ drone threat after Gaza kite launches

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has directed the defense establishment and the IDF to do “everything” to confront what he calls the “lethal” threat of drones to Israel, following the launching of kites from the Gaza Strip in recent days.

“We have been working for several years on a solution to the drone threat. We are the most advanced in the world, but this is a global problem,” Netanyahu says in a video message, saying the weapons have been used in Ukraine and Lebanon, “and now they are trying to renew this threat and bring it into Gaza.”

While Netanyahu doesn’t mention the incident directly, he appears to be drawing a connection between recent kite launches from Gaza and the broader threat posed by armed drones.

At least four kites were flown from Gaza to Kibbutz Nahal Oz over the weekend. The army said nothing suspicious was found on the kites and there was no danger to the public, but many have associated the objects with the Gazan kites and balloons carrying incendiary devices that plagued southern Israel in previous years.

“My directive to the defense establishment and the IDF is to do everything against this lethal weapon — to strike it, to strike those operating it, to strike the place from which it was launched, to do everything in order to protect our citizens in the Gaza border communities and everywhere else,” the premier says.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier today he had instructed the IDF to “act forcefully” against the launching of kites.

Netanyahu and Katz have been increasingly outspoken about the threat of drones in recent months.

Earlier this month, Channel 12 reported that Israel’s defense establishment had identified a significant increase in attempts by terror groups to launch explosive drones – including fiber-optic drones – within Israel toward targets across the country, with officials said to warn that there was no effective operational solution to the emerging threat.

Fiber-optic drones, which are guided via a cable and therefore immune to electronic jamming, have posed a major challenge for the IDF during its operations in Lebanon, killing Israeli soldiers.

Emanuel Fabian and Stav Levaton contributed to this report.