Protecting the Force from Uncrewed Aerial Systems

Director of RUSI's Centre for Finance and Security, Tom Keatinge, joins Nick Robinson and Mishal Husain to discuss sanctions.

Tom Keatinge, from the Royal United Services Institute think tank, told the BBC that putting sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich would be a "significant move" aimed at sending a "major political message" to Israel. He also said there was "not a precedent" for the UK government sanctioning elements of an ally country. He added that there were "practical issues" as sanctions required "a lot of work" and that the Foreign Office's sanctions director was already "heavily overworked" due to issues related to Russia.

In the year since the Hamas atrocity on October 7, Israel has engaged in the widest and most determined decapitation strategy witnessed. Decapitation strategies are based on a seductive idea — go for the leadership and cut off the organisational head of your enemy; kill it quickly from the top down.