Aviv Bar Zohar

Aviv Bar Zohar is a retired Israeli Air Force colonel with over 35 years of operational experience in air defense, UAV operations, and aerial command and control. He is a strategic adviser to the Defense Ministry and defense start-ups, and currently serves as a senior expert in Israel’s National Drone Initiative. A former program manager at Elbit Systems, he led C2 and counter-UAS development projects. Aviv is completing his PhD in law at Reichman University, focusing on the legality of lethal autonomous weapons under international humanitarian law. He lives in Kfar Yona, is married, and has two children.

An Iranian Shahed 171 drone dropping a bomb as part of a military exercise in the Gulf, in Iran

Israel may be left unprepared for next big drone threat without action today - opinion

Israel must recalibrate its thinking and understand that drones and UAVs penetrating airspace will become routine in warfare. Not all will be intercepted—not even close. Our mindset must shift.

JULY 28, 2025
IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip

Robots instead of soldiers on the battlefield: Sounds futuristic, but i's the reality

Autonomous weapons raise moral, legal, and ethical concerns, but in Israel, debate over limits is nearly absent. These systems act without human contact - and without hesitation.

JUNE 10, 2025