An IDF inquiry concluded that the unidentified object that entered Israeli airspace on Saturday night was probably a balloon or device that uses hot air to float, and not an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The IDF clarified on Tuesday that the possibility that the object was a drone or UAV can be ruled out, but it is still unable to determine with certainty from where the object came or what its target was.
The defense establishment currently estimates that it was an innocent object that floated into Israeli airspace and not a device that was launched on purpose.
The initial detection occurred Saturday evening, at approximately 8:00 p.m., prompting IDF forces to begin searches in the Western Galilee, both on the ground and from the air.
The searches continued throughout the night and into the morning hours, while a military investigation was also launched in an attempt to determine the nature of the object detected by the radar systems.
Despite wide-scale searches, the object was not found. The IDF stressed that there was no change to home front guidelines.
In a separate reference to the recent increase in reports of false detections and interceptions of suspicious targets, the IDF explained that detection systems are required to identify extremely small threats, and that it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between a small aircraft and a bird.
“The difference between a drone and a bird is very small, and therefore no risks are taken. Once a threat is identified, a rapid process is carried out until the target is intercepted," the IDF said.
The military emphasized that throughout the war, the Air Force has been operating to defend against threats from multiple arenas, while giving priority to the safety of civilians and forces deployed in the field.
The IDF added that it continues to conduct aerial and ground searches, alongside ongoing examinations of its detection systems, in order to improve identification capabilities and draw lessons from recent incidents.