Hezbollah's unjammable drones pose new threat to Israel

"Israeli troops are confronting a new threat in their fight against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon: camera-equipped explosive drones that feed live video back to their operators via a fiber-optic tether to evade detection and traditional signal-jamming defenses."

"The unmanned, first-person-view vehicles, cheap to build from commercially available components, have helped the militants rearm despite the loss of a sponsor in Syria and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last month, the weapons have killed at least four Israeli personnel."

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this month he had "ordered the establishment of a special project to thwart the drone threat." "It will take time," he said in a video posted to social media, "but we are on it." The Israel Defense Forces is establishing a factory to produce its own "suicide drones," Galatz military radio reported Tuesday."

"Hezbollah is increasingly relying on the low-cost, locally manufactured drones "to overcome supply challenges" since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al Assad in 2024, a Hezbollah official told The Washington Post. The weapons, built with easily sourced electronics and 3D printing technology for $300 to $400 per unit, proved their value in the Russia-Ukraine war agains t "the advanced capabilities of major militaries," the official said."

Israeli troops in southern Lebanon face camera-equipped explosive drones that transmit live video to operators through a fiber-optic tether, reducing vulnerability to detection and traditional signal-jamming. The drones are inexpensive and can be built from commercially available components, helping militants rearm despite setbacks including the loss of a sponsor in Syria and pressure from the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran. After a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the drones have killed at least four Israeli personnel. Hezbollah leadership has praised the drones, while Israeli officials have acknowledged the challenge and ordered a special project to counter it. Israel is also building a factory to produce suicide drones at high monthly output, while Hezbollah increasingly relies on low-cost locally manufactured units due to supply constraints.

Read at The Washington Post