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- A huge IDF radar blimp is being deployed along the Israel-Lebanon border as regional tensions rise.
- Israel is reactivating the blimp to patrol the region as tensions with Hezbollah rise.
- The "Sky Dew" will assist Israel's airforce with surveillance on the Lebanon border.
The Israeli airforce has revived a massive radar blimp, now set to patrol the Israel-Lebanon border amid rising tensions, The Telegraph reports.
The "Tal Shamayim," or "Sky Dew" is one of the largest high-altitude observation balloons of its kind, The Jewish Press reports.
The Israel Defense Forces have deployed an enormous blimp to surveil the region as conflict with Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, escalates along the border with Lebanon.
The High Availability Aerostat System is a collaborative project of the US and Israel, developed by the Israel Ministry of Defense and the US Missile Defense Agency, defense blog Military Leak reports.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) officially received the airship in 2022.
"The IAF faces significant threats in the northern theater, and we must be prepared for every scenario. The new system provides an important addition to existing air control capabilities and enhances the IAF's ability to defend Israeli skies," Israel Air Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Norkin said at the time.
Yesterday, the IAF officially received the "Tal Shamaim" platform developed in cooperation with the @Israel_MOD and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). pic.twitter.com/MyjDFjLlU8
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 23, 2022
The new addition to the IDF's defense arsenal will help detect incoming long-range missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.
The blimp, featuring advanced radar and a high availability aerostat system, is strategically designed to hover at high altitudes, providing Israel with detection and early warning capabilities.
US company TCOM manufactures the reconnaissance balloon. It can carry 7,000 pounds and has an operational altitude of 10,000ft.
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Israel has an advanced air defense system, heavily financed by the US. The Iron Dome, Israel's mobile all-weather air defense system, is bolstered by $1.6 billion from the US, which defends the Jewish state from frequent Hamas rocket attacks.
Hostility between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel was reignited after Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel that killed 1,139 people.
Israel has killed roughly 22,000 Palestinians and displaced almost all of the territory's 2.3 million people in the war with Hamas that followed.
The fighting has spilled into neighboring countries, with Hezbollah firing missiles and drones at Israel.
The fighting has spilled into neighboring countries, with Hezbollah firing missiles and drones at Israel.
Israeli has retaliated with airstrike at Lebanon.
Last week, a senior Hamas official, Saleh al-Arouri, who was under the protection of Hezbollah, was killed by Israel in Beirut, indicative of a broadening its battlefield.
Biden, alarmed by the prospect of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah, has dispatched aides to the Middle East in a quest to diplomatically prevent escalations between Israel and Hezbollah, The Washington Post reports.