The Israeli military has launched the largest surveillance balloon of its kind in the world, a giant balloon for monitoring, espionage, and preventing infiltration, named Sky Dew. It is designated to be stationed at the northern border to detect various threats coming from southern Lebanon, especially those launched by Hezbollah, including drones and various types of missiles, for proactive warnings, according to several Israeli media outlets, including The Times of Israel.
However, the surveillance system integrated into the balloon, which can be seen from a distance in Lebanon, is still being prepared and is not operational yet, as stated by the Israeli Air Force in a statement. They mentioned that the balloon, known as "Tel Shmim" in Hebrew, is equipped with dozens of special cameras, small computer devices, and large radar systems. It measures 117 meters in length and weighs several thousand kilograms.
The balloon, which was visible for the first time on Saturday amid escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, is white in color, 117 meters long with a weight of thousands of kilograms. Tel Aviv and Washington collaborated in its development as a surveillance system, and special American teams came to Israel to inflate it and assemble its parts over the years. Once fully operational, it will be able to patrol the area of the triangular border with Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, "from a distance extending hundreds of kilometers into the territory of these countries."
