Hezbollah Launches Fiber-Optic Drone Swarm Attacks On North Israel, IDF Intercepts Some

Hezbollah attacked Israel with fiber-optic explosive drones that feed live video to operators via a tether, a tactic the Washington Post said is designed to evade detection and traditional signal-jamming defenses.

The Washington Post reported that since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last month, the weapons have killed at least four Israeli personnel, and it described Israeli troops confronting the drones in southern Lebanon.

Al Jazeera

On Tuesday, Naharnet said Hezbollah launched a massive drone swarm attack on north Israel, with Israeli media calling it the first time multiple drones target a single target inside Israel.

Naharnet added that Israel’s military said it intercepted several drones before they crossed the border, but some explosive ones detonated in Israel near the border and no injuries were reported.

The Washington Post also said the IDF estimates Hezbollah has approximately 100 drone operators dispersed across Southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem told fighters on Tuesday, “Your drones are suffocating the occupying entity and terrifying the tyrants of the earth,” as the drone campaign continued across the border.

In Israel, the Washington Post quoted an Israeli military official saying, “We are using and deploying all kinds of technologies,” and added that “There’s nothing that you can do that will give 100 percent protection.”

American Jewish Committee (AJC)

Haaretz reported that the Israeli military said an IDF soldier was moderately wounded and a non-commissioned officer was lightly wounded in a Hezbollah fiber optic drone strike in Israeli territory near the border with Lebanon.

Haaretz also said the Israeli military reported Hezbollah launched several fiber optic drones that detonated inside Israel near the border with Lebanon, saying there were no injuries.

Meanwhile, Naharnet framed Tuesday’s swarm as an attack where Israel intercepted several drones and “no injuries were reported,” even as explosive drones detonated near the border.

Israel is preparing to counter Hezbollah’s fiber-optic FPV drone threat by expanding its own production and interception efforts, with the Washington Post describing the IDF establishing a factory to produce its own “suicide drones.”

“Israeli media: The army is preparing to widen its ground operations in Lebanon”

Anadolu Ajansi

The Jerusalem Post said the IDF is establishing a factory to produce first-person view (FPV) “suicide” drones intended to employ approximately 200 haredi (ultra-Orthodox) soldiers, with the first haredi recruits joining the factory in June.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the factory would be able to supply the military with thousands of drones within two months and to produce tens of thousands per month in the future.

In southern Lebanon, Anadolu Ajansı said Channel 12 reported the Israeli army is preparing to widen its ground operations while awaiting political decisions, quoting an unnamed army source saying, “We are preparing for the possibility that the political side will grant the green light to expand the operation in Lebanon — we are preparing for that on the ground.”

Anadolu Ajansı also said Channel 12 warned that “explosive drones have become a major threat” to Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon, and it described the drones as leading to deaths and injuries among troops.