FEARS are looming that Hezbollah has found a way to beat Israel’s Iron Dome.
The drone attack that killed four on Sunday has left IDF chiefs questioning why their air defences didn’t detect the fatal strike.
Hezbollah said it had targeted a base belonging to the IDF’s Golani Brigade with a “swarm of drones“.
It was the deadliest strike by the terror group since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon nearly two weeks ago.
Tel Aviv has a world-class air defence system which has meant strikes to Israel have, for the most part, been inconsequential – until now.
Israeli investigators are trying to wrap their head around why the Iron Dome didn’t pick up the killer drone – as well as why air raid sirens failed to alert the Golani Brigade.
The Iron Dome is supposed to intercept rockets that are travelling in the direction of a urban areas and bring them down – making it the first system of its kind in the world.
But fears loom that if multiple strikes are conducted simultaneously, the system could be overwhelmed.
Others have warned the system is less effective against drones that fly slower than easily detectable rockets.
Israel’s top defence officials visited the army base that was hit in the deadly Hezbollah attack and vowed to investigate how the drone managed to evade air defences.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called the attack a “difficult event with painful outcomes” but ensured the government would be “coordinating a national effort and working on developing solutions”.
The IDF have consequently launched an investigation to determine why the early warning systems weren’t triggered by the deadly drone.
According to the Times of Israel, Hezbollah launched two “Misrad” drones into Israeli airspace from the sea.
The Alma Center, an Israeli research institute, said the drone has a 120-kilometre assault range and a top speed of 370 kilometres per hour.
It has the capacity to carry up to 40 kilograms of explosives, and the ability to fly up to 3,000 metres, the institute says.
One of the drones was reportedly shot down off the coast, north of Haifa.
But the other appeared to go completely undetected as it soared across the border without triggering air raid sirens.
It then fatally hit the Binyamina camp’s hall where dozens of soldiers were eating.
Sergeant Omri Tamari, Sergeant Yosef Hieb, Sergeant Yoav Agmon and Sergeant Alon Amitay, all 19, died in the attack.
Israel’s military also said 61 were wounded – with seven severely injured.
Hezbollah’s media office issued a statement after the attack, cruelly boasting “the dining rooms of Israeli soldiers have become death traps”.
They said: “What [Israel] witnessed today in southern Haifa is nothing compared to what awaits it if it decides to continue its aggression against our noble and dear people.”
The terror group also said the strike was in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and Beirut on Thursday.
In a rare event, the US said on Sunday it would send US troops to Israel along with an advanced US anti-missile system.
The White House claim the extremely unusual deployment looks to bolster the country’s air defences following the missile attacks by Iran.
President Joe Biden said the move was “to defend Israel” which is waiting for an expected retaliation against Iran after Tehran fired over 180 missiles at Israel two weeks ago.
With Israel’s top air-defence systems, it is rare for so many people to be injured by drones or missiles.
Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire almost daily since the war in Gaza began – and fighting has escalated in recent weeks.
Israel launched its ground operation in Lebanon earlier this month with the goal of weakening Hezbollah and pushing the terror group away from the border to allow displaced Israelis to return.
Earlier on Sunday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant promised that Israel would never let Hezbollah regroup along the Lebanon border.
He said: “These are military targets containing underground tunnels and weapon storages.
“Our troops found hundreds of RPGs, munitions, and anti-tank missiles here.
“The IDF is currently destroying these weapons above and under the ground.”
He said he has “instructed the IDF… to ensure that terrorists cannot return to these places”.
The IDF said some 100 Hezbollah operatives have been killed over the last week – and claimed more than 50 Hezbollah rocket launchers and 60 command centres have been destroyed.
But Avraham Levine, an analyst with Israeli think-tank Alma, said it’s likely Hezbollah was “well prepared and waiting” for Israeli troops.
He said: “The fact that the chain of command has been damaged does not take away the ability to shoot Israeli communities or try to hit,” describing Hezbollah as “the same powerful terror army we all know”.
Hezbollah’s deadly strike on the Israeli base came the same day the US said it would send a new air defences to help bolster protection against missiles.
Israel is now at war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – both Iran-backed militant groups – and is expected to strike Iran in retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month.
UKRAINE'S military has mastered drone warfare since Putin first invaded the country in February 2022.
Since early 2023, the cheap, explosive, flying machines have become one of Kyiv’s biggest success stories on the battlefield.
Ukraine’s “Achilles” troops are specialised drone warfare units within the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, playing a pivotal role in Ukraine’s ongoing defence against Russian forces.
These troops have gained recognition for their expertise in using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in combat, particularly in repelling Russian assaults and destroying enemy equipment.
The battalion operates highly effective UAVs, such as the “Vampire” drones, which have been instrumental in targeting Russian positions and equipment, particularly in nighttime operations.
BOOKING days off around bank holidays next year can maximise your leave and even double your time off.
The tactic could give you 58 days off in 2025 while using only 28 days of annual leave (the average for Brits).
Of course this doesn’t mean you magically get more days off in the year.
It means that you get more days off in a row which allows you to appreciate the break properly.
Whether this means jetting off or just chilling on the sofa – you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity for some extra rest and relaxation.
Here are all the dates you should book off in 2025 to maximise your leave.
If your bosses are friendly and you’ve still got the chance to book some leave around New Years – then here’s when to do it.
The New Year bank holiday is on a Wednesday which means if you booked the Thursday and Friday (January 2 and 3) you could end up with a total five days off.
This is because you would run into the weekend allowing an entire Wednesday to Sunday free.
If you get really lucky with the rota you could also book December 30 and 31 off which is the Monday and Tuesday beforehand.
This means you’d get a total nine days off from the Saturday (December 28) through to the following Sunday (January 5).
And finally for a whopping 16 days off you could also take December 23, 24 and 27.
If taking from two different years’ leave allowances you might not be using up as much holiday as you think.
Easter bank holiday falls from April 18 (Good Friday) until April 21 (Easter Monday) next year.
This means if you booked holiday on the Monday to Thursday beforehand (April 14 to 17) then you could get 10 days on the trot.
And even better – if you also claimed the four days after Easter Monday (April 22 to 25) you would get that including the following weekend too.
Which, running from April 12 until 27, is 16 days overall.
In May there are two bank holidays on the Monday 5 and 26.
This means by taking the Tuesday to Thursday off on these weeks you could gain a total 9 days holiday.
For example, you would have the Saturday (May 3) til the following Sunday (May 11).
Or the Saturday (May 24) til the following Sunday (June 1).
In the summer, there’s also a bank holiday on August 25.
This means if you book the Tuesday to Friday off – so August 26 to 29 – you could get a total nine days.
That’s nine days from Saturday, August 23 til the following Sunday, August 31.
2025 Christmas bank holidays will fall on Thursday, December 24 for Christmas Day and Friday, December 26 for Boxing Day.
One option is that you could book off December 22, 23 and 24 to get a nine-day leave from December 20 to Monday, December 29.
Or you could book off December 29, 30 and 31 and January 2 (you don’t need to book the October 1 as this is already a bank holiday).
Then you’ll have a total 11 days including the weekend.
And if you book all seven days as holiday, you’d get 16 days from December 20 right through to January 5.
You could even split this between your 2025/26 annual leaves so it doesn’t feel like you’re throwing too much away in one go.
HERE are all the benefits the government lists on its website that could be moved forwards and how often they are usually paid:
You’ll usually need to check in with your employer before booking holiday as this is typically arranged around workload and rotas.
Most employers who work a five-day week must get at least 28 days’ paid annual leave a year – which is around 5.6 weeks.
By making sure you maximise your leave dates you could squeeze in holiday much easier.
It’s also always best to ask as early as possible to get more chance of approval – and not to mention that it’ll be cheaper to buy a holiday if you get in early.
Always make sure your holiday is definitely approved before making any purchases – you could risk losing out on a lot of cash.
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