On Friday the 13th, widely considered as the most gloom-ridden day of the year, Israel and Iran launched a high stake, tech-driven war in the Middle East, that could possibly ignite the third world war (WW3), with a splash of nuclear.
On Sunday, Israelis hit their tipping point when an Iranian missile struck the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, just south of Tel Aviv, in response to Israel’s assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists.
For Israel, and the western world, the Weizmann Institute is one of its leading scientific hubs, known for its contributions to military technology, including AI, drones, and other advanced systems such as such as cyber defense platforms, quantum computing applications, and missile guidance innovations.
The Weizmann Institute is one of Israel’s and the world’s leading centers of science, tracing back to 1934 when established by Chaim Weizmann as the Daniel Sieff Research Institute. The scientific hub later took Weizmann’s name in 1949 after his inauguration as Israel’s first President.
Now, the institute houses, or housed, about 2,500 researchers and staff, offering state-of-the-art master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and computer sciences. Its campus boasts over 30 research laboratories, a gigantic scientific library, and full residential and lecture buildings.
Beyond academia, the Weizmann Institute is extremely well integrated into Israel’s national security apparatus with edge research and technology translated into direct support for the state’s military capabilities. due to that Israel will strike Iran again and again and again…
Following the strike, Israeli media refrained from publishing photographs or providing full accounts of the Iranian missile strike on Israel, under strict military censorship regulations prohibiting any detailed reporting of the damage done to one of Israel’s key pillars of technological hubs.
This silence of the Weizmann Institute of Science Israel attack mirrors the security consequences of the apparent failure of air defenses and indicates the vulnerability of Israeli critical infrastructure to deliberate attack.
The Game of Drones
In the Iran and Israel tech war, drones have become the new symbol of the defining weapon.
Technologically, Israel is tech advanced, and its drones are AI capable, which can wage electronic warfare, flying with near real-time intelligence coordination. In parallel, the Iran retaliation on Israel’s strategy is strategic, stealthy, and based on ballistic force over technological complications.
Since the Russian and Ukrainian war, the Israeli government has been wreaking havoc in the Middle East, drone warfare repositioned tactics on the front lines, shaping the very future of global military might.
The Israel and Iran long-standing shadow war, involved a plethora of tactical drones:
Shahed 129
- Multi-mission, long-range tactical drone based on the US MQ-1 Predator;
- Capable of flight for up to 24 hours and approximately 1,700 km;
- Equipped with up to four guided Sadid missiles for precise ground attack;
- Carries thermal imaging, advanced communication equipment, and jam-resistant controls;
- Used by IRGC in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq against US and allied targets;
- Consistently modified by Iran for improved stealth, navigation, and weaponry accuracy.
Shahed 136
- Low-cost, one-way “suicide drone” with a 20–50 kg warhead;
- Built for mass deployment, minimalist design with straight wings and rear piston engine;
- Lacks sophisticated navigation but uses GPS and sometimes a front camera;
- Capable of evading radar by flying low and slow, especially in swarm attacks;
- Extensively used by Russia in Ukraine and Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Saudi Arabia;
- Favored because of low price and effectiveness in saturating air defenses.
Israel first strike Iran – a key aspect of this war equation – it set its deepest foot into Iranian territory, marking yet another breach of a sovereign state by Israel.
The Israeli military used a mix of secret explosive drones and potentially electronic warfare assets. On Sunday, Iranian intelligence captured two infiltrated Mossad agents, on its soil, that were planning a comprehensive drone development operation in the country, to blast out Iranian air defenses.
Some of the drones used by Israel against Iran include:
IAI Harop
- Kamikaze drone that autonomously seeks out and destroys radar targets;
- Can stay aloft for up to 6 hours and strikes with high accuracy;
- Originally intended to disable enemy air defense systems prior to, or during, airstrikes;
- Has been used in Syria and covert operations against Iranian-aligned forces.
IAI Heron TP (Eitan)
- High-endurance reconnaissance and attack Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with a flight range of more than 7,000 km;
- Used to deliver intelligence throughout Iran prior to and throughout the operation;
- Can be armed with air-to-ground missiles and electronic warfare payloads;
- Deployed to regions where longer-range Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) is required.
IAI Heron (Machatz-1)
- Medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle with 40+ hours airborne capacity;
- Used for real-time ISR over Iranian skies, delivering target data to Israeli fighter aircraft;
- Equipped with multi-sensor payloads, such as thermal imagery and electronic intelligence (ELINT) systems;
- Used by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria operations.
Hermes 900
- Multi-mission drone with ISR and potential strike;
- Capable of carrying guided bombs and sensors with endurance of 36 hours;
- Perhaps helped the mission by monitoring Iranian airspace or escorting Israeli aircraft.
The Middle Eastern skies grow heavy with by wars waged by Israel, and until now, it still remains unclear whether the charges between Israel and Iran are no longer simply about nuclear powers and political disagreements. These wars are becoming all about missiles, all about codes, circuitry, and unmanned control.
Israel does hold the key to technological warfare advantage, with drones equipped to handle AI, electronic warfare technology, and coordination systems in real time that Iran has not even achieved. Yet, the proven move of Iran ready to strike Israel again and again with ballistic and hypersonic missiles, is a testament that raw drone numbers, accompanied by local delegation of air support is not enough.
As a matter of fact, it appears that drone tactics are only beneficial for assassinations and elimination strategies.
In the end, the winner of this technological arms race may not be whoever flies the most, but whoever flies best.
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