7. How did Hezbollah’s needle deflate the legendary balloon?

The story continues – Last Chapter:

1. Kings of the Sky! – The Story of the Air Force of Hezbollah
2. 30 Years… From Gliders to Drones, And From Syria to “Karish” to Al-Aqsa Flood
3. The enemy is haunted by the “Karar” drone: Hezbollah’s technical superiority has amazed our army and terrified us.
4. Intelligence and Military Confrontation and High-Tech Systems:
What Are The Details of the Electronic Warfare Between the Resistance and the Enemy?
5. Cost of Drones vs. Cost of Countering Them
6. The Hezbollah Drone Family
7. How did Hezbollah’s needle deflate the legendary balloon?

“How does the enemy explain to its people the story of the ‘Tal Shamayim’ balloon? They spent hundreds of millions of dollars on it. It has a highly advanced radar. Suddenly, a drone manages to penetrate all defenses, and the enemy only detects it at the last moment. Despite this, this small drone brings down a balloon unlike any other in the Middle East.

The reconnaissance operation played a significant and effective role. We discussed the idea of bringing down the balloon while it was in the air. In the end, we found that the most suitable military option was to strike it on the ground. We did not have to chase it at an altitude of 7000 meters, even though we are capable of that.

The enemy launched propaganda claiming they are ahead of us in everything. Yoav Gallant stood near the balloon and confidently talked about his forces advancing while Hezbollah retreats. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a small drone arrives, swoops down on the balloon, and completely disables it.”

These words were spoken by a commander in Hezbollah’s air force when discussing the operation to bring down the balloon. This operation took place less than four months after the enemy’s defense minister stood on a platform beneath the giant balloon, surrounded by air force and intelligence officers.  He didn’t need more arrogance while talking about the ‘collapse of equations Hezbollah thought it created in Lebanon.’

Gallant spoke with what seemed like certainty from his security and military systems, which assured him that this balloon supports the air force’s operations. It was the same air force that was shocked when news of a ‘bad incident’ in the north arrived. Before the censorship allowed the publication of brief news, Hezbollah released a video explaining the aerial reconnaissance operation of the ‘giant surveillance balloon,’  followed by additional footage showing a Hezbollah drone successfully reaching, hitting, and destroying the balloon.The mood in ‘israel’ quickly shifted. Commentators mocked their military and security leaders. One wrote about the ‘air bubble of the surveillance balloon,’ saying: ‘Beyond crushing ego and undermining security resilience, the collapse of the advanced surveillance balloon overshadows a long-term strategic problem in the ‘israeli’ security concept.'”

The “Tal Shamayim” balloon was considered the most capable and advanced platform for gathering intelligence according to the “israeli” Air Force. It is the largest of its kind in the world, with no equivalent in the entire Middle East. It was developed over several years through a joint program between the “Wall Directorate” in the “israeli” Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. It was transported from America in disassembled containers and assembled by specialized American teams.

Its foreign name is “SKY DEW,” known in Hebrew as “Tal Shamayim” or “Sky Dew” in Arabic. It is stationed in the Ilania area and operates according to the Aerostat (HAAS) system. It was designed to provide early warning of long-range missile attacks and long-range drone attacks. It can detect various threats at both long and low levels, feeding threat and targeting data to “israel’s” multi-layered air
defense units.

The balloon carries a suite of electronic intelligence systems, including dozens of electro-optical systems, long-range radars, signal intelligence systems, and both active and passive communication equipment. It can track low-altitude targets and those in valleys. The primary sensor in the balloon is the advanced radar system “SKY DEW,” where the radar antenna, electronics, and related communication
systems are mounted inside a large inflatable fabric forebody under the gas-filled stable pressure envelope of the balloon. It includes a tether with fiber optic data cables, allowing data communication between the balloon and its ground station through secure fiber optic data links.

On May 16, while it was stationed on the ground, a small and inexpensive drone breached its envelope, causing the balloon to explode and be destroyed. One of the enemy’s wealthy donors, who generously supports the state and its military projects—a PhD in philosophy and a businessman named Shmuel Harlav—was dismayed by the event. He wrote in “Yedioth Ahronoth” that “the balloon explosion is a
breach by Hezbollah comparable to Hamas’s breach of the separation wall and fences on October 7. In the north and south of the country, the arrogance of ‘israeli’ technological and intelligence superiority was shattered, causing strategic damage to ‘israel’s’ security.”