First Ukraine, Now Israel: Drone Smuggling Is Potent New War Weapon
Launching weapons from within their territory forces adversaries to look not only outward but also inside for threats, one expert said.
Small, difficult to detect and able to pack a powerful punch, attack drones have become a formidable weapon in modern warfare. But when launched from deep inside enemy territory — as in Iran and in Russia this month — their impact is all the more devastating.
The surprise factor of having to fend off drones attacking from within combines a classic military strategy with modern technology. Spy craft and covert operations have long been a part of combat, but using them to build or deploy deadly drones behind enemy lines is a new tactic in the ever-evolving art of war, officials and weapons experts said.
That was the case two weeks ago, when more than 40 Russian war planes were hit by a swarm of 117 drones that Ukraine had secretly planted near military bases in Russia months earlier. Some were thousands of miles from Ukraine.
It was also the case in Iran, which lost missiles, interceptors and air defense systems that were destroyed on Friday by drones and other weapons that Israeli intelligence operativeshad smuggled inearlier.
Drones may become an especially attractive weapon in covert operations, Mr. Sabet said, if they can be smuggled into enemy territory in parts and over time, making them even more difficult to detect.
As drone warfare evolves, so will ways to counter it. That could include both low-tech solutions, like shielding military equipment and other targets with hardened covers, or more advanced systems that shoot down drones, either with a weapon or by jamming them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/world/middleeast/drones-smuggled-israel-iran-ukraine-russia.html
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