Israel Moves To Counter Drone Threat on Egyptian Border

Drones carrying weapons and other contraband are flying over the Egyptian border and into Israel’s heartland. After months of repeated sightings and interceptions, the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, is set to convene on October 15 for an “urgent discussion” on drone infiltrations.

Between July 16 and August 25, the Israeli Defense Force’s Paran Brigade, the defense unit responsible for the border between Israel and Egypt, recorded 384 drone-breach incidents with hundreds of additional sightings.

The scale of this threat underscores the vulnerability of Israel’s southern border, and the limits of Cairo’s willingness or ability to rein in weapons and drug trafficking networks operating in Sinai. While Israel has invested in fencing and surveillance, drones present new challenges.

The issue presents an opportunity for the United States to encourage Israel and Egypt to coordinate more closely, taking a first step toward repairing a strained relationship.

A Long History of Smuggling Across the Border

Smuggling has long been a security challenge along Israel’s roughly 125-mile southern frontier with Egypt. Drones, however, have transformed the scale and urgency of the problem.

Unlike tunnels or vehicle-based smuggling, drones can cross surveillance gaps and deliver payloads directly across the border by evading fences, roads, and traditional patrol patterns.

The problem escalated in late 2024 when Israeli forces intercepted a series of weapon-laden drones on October 20, October 31, and November 27. Incidents have continued in 2025. Israeli troops recovered handguns and assault rifles from the downed drones.

Meanwhile, Egyptian officials have dismissed claims that smuggling, via drones or otherwise, is taking place.

Sinai as a Breeding Ground for Terrorism and Extremism

The Sinai Peninsula, the landmass connecting Egypt and Israel, has long been a hotbed for terrorism. At its height in the 2010s, the insurgency against the Egyptian state in Sinai hosted ISIS affiliates, other jihadist cells, and entrenched criminal networks that exploited the territory’s weak governance. Egyptian counterinsurgency campaigns have degraded militant capabilities in some areas, but governance gaps, tribal grievances, and economic marginalization persist.

The rise of drone-enabled smuggling underscores that militants and traffickers are adapting faster than Egyptian border enforcement is able to respond, maintaining the territory as a staging ground for threats that spill over into Israel.

Washington Should Press Egypt To Cooperate With Israel on Border Security

Egypt and Israel share a clear, mutual interest in securing this border. Israel seeks to stop drone incursions, while Egypt wants to avoid unilateral Israeli actions on its territory that could raise tensions. Yet Cairo’s failure to address this issue presents a dilemma for Jerusalem. Israel’s elevation of the issue to a Knesset debate signals growing impatience with the pace and scope of enforcement cooperation.

For Washington, this issue presents an opportunity to push Israel and Egypt toward closer coordination on border security and reinforce regional stability. By facilitating intelligence-sharing, promoting joint patrols, and supporting the deployment of counter-drone technologies, the United States can help both partners close enforcement gaps, disrupt trafficking networks, and reduce the risk of drones being used to move weapons or contraband into Israel.

Mariam Wahba is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Mariam and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Mariam on X @themariamwahba. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.