Israel’s Concerns Grow Over Hezbollah’s New “Strategic Weapon”
The Israeli entity considers the use of these drones a qualitative development in the confrontation with Hezbollah.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Israeli military intelligence issued a warning weeks ago stating that Hezbollah is planning to expand its use of drones in the current phase of operations. This has prompted the security establishment to focus its efforts on dismantling the “value chain” associated with this weapon, including suppliers, operators, and technical components.
Israeli assessments indicate that this type of drone represents a strategic shift in the nature of the confrontation, given its ability to carry out precise and low-cost strikes with a “painful and devastating” impact on the ground, according to Zionist media descriptions, compared to some types of conventional missiles.
These concerns come amidst military reports indicating Hezbollah’s increasing reliance on locally modified drones equipped with cameras and explosives, in addition to fiber optic communication technologies that allow for direct control from operations rooms, thus reducing the effectiveness of Israeli electronic jamming systems.
Military sources within the Israeli army acknowledge the difficulty of intercepting this type of drone, which has led soldiers in some cases to shoot them down with direct fire. These incidents, described as significant, have included drones targeting military helicopters during evacuation operations, resulting in casualties.
The Israeli security establishment considers this development a new challenge on the battlefield, treating it as an “emerging strategic threat” that requires a multi-layered response to disrupt the manufacturing and operational capabilities of Hezbollah fighters.
The importance of this “shift” in the battlefield is underscored by the fact that Israeli media outlets have reported on this weapon in numerous articles, highlighting the army and security establishment’s inadequate preparedness for this threat.