Tel Aviv [Israel], November 7 (ANI/TPS): Israel is escalating its response to drone-based weapons smuggling along the Egypt border, with new rules of engagement, Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday.

'The smuggling of weapons using drones is part of the war in Gaza and is intended to arm our enemies--and all means must be taken to stop them,' Katz said following an emergency meeting with army commanders and representatives of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the National Security Council, and the Israel Police.

Katz instructed the army to change opening-fire instructions so forces may 'harm any unauthorised party that penetrates the prohibited area' and to take more aggressive steps against operators and smugglers. The minister told participants bluntly: 'We are declaring war--anyone who penetrates the prohibited area will be harmed.'

Katz and Shin Bet head Maj. Gen. (res.) David Zini also agreed that the agency will seek to classify weapons smuggling by drones along the Egypt border as a terrorist threat, a legal designation the government says will give security bodies broader tools to counter the activity. The Defence Ministry said the move would be backed by efforts to pursue legislative amendments and mandatory licensing tied to drone use, acquisition, and maintenance.

The ministry added that its Department of Defence will coordinate with the Air Force to accelerate development of technological solutions to detect and thwart drone-borne smuggling, while the National Security Council will support regulatory and enforcement measures. Officials described the meeting as part of a larger push to close legal and technical gaps that have allowed unmanned aircraft to ferry weapons and materiel across the frontier.

Nearly 900 drone smuggling attempts from Egypt into Israel were recorded over the past three months, almost doubling the 464 attempts reported in the same period last year, authorities told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee in mid-October. (ANI/TPS)