Like the war in Ukraine, the fighting in the Middle East increasingly revolves around drones. If Israel was able to benefit from a technological advantage until then to jam Hezbollah’s devices, the Shiite militia seems to have found a way to bypass the air defenses. In recent weeks, Hezbollah has repeatedly used FPV (“First Person View”) kamikaze drones to attack Israeli troops in South Lebanon. These drones allow the pilot to see the scene live through the drone camera, without exposing themselves to risk. Inexpensive and light, they are more precise than missiles.
If the models used until now could have their signal jammed by the Israeli army, the new versions are now guided by a long optical fiber connecting the quadcopter to an operator on the ground. Thus, they are almost undetectable by anti-aircraft systems, which cannot divert them. The cable, thin and light enough to be almost invisible to the naked eye, can stretch up to 15 kilometers according to an Israeli military source cited by CNN.
“There is not much to do”
Although Israeli anti-aircraft defenses are recognized for their effectiveness, they are now struggling to cope with this new technology. “Your drones are suffocating the occupying entity and terrifying the tyrants of the earth,” Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem boasted to his fighters according to an investigation by the Washington Post. Difficulties that even the Israeli authorities recognize, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “ordered the establishment of a special project to counter the threat of drones”, he said on May 3. “Beyond physical barriers like nets, there is not much to do,” said an Israeli military source cited by CNN. “It is a low-tech system adapted to asymmetric warfare.”
If the use of drones by Hezbollah has been known at least since the civil war in Syria in 2011, it has become widespread in recent years. Especially since, while the military group previously sourced its supplies from Syria or Iran, it is now developing its capacity to produce this technology itself, fearing the supply difficulties caused by the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. According to the Washington Postthese drones are manufactured with easily accessible electronics and 3D printed structures. In total, their manufacturing cost does not exceed 400 dollars, or less than 350 euros.
A fragile ceasefire
Faced with the widespread use of these drones, Israel decided to get involved too. The Israeli army has established a factory to produce its own “kamikaze drones”, military radio Galatz said on Tuesday. According to the Washington Postmilitary officials say that, in two months, thousands of drones could be produced monthly.
If a truce came into effect on April 17, it is weakened by this technology. Because according to the Israeli Air Force, Hezbollah has launched more than 100 explosive drones on Israeli troops since, and at least four soldiers have been killed by these flying devices. The Shiite militia has released videos of more than 28 FPV drone attacks since the ceasefire agreement. For its part, the Israeli Air Force claims to have struck more than 1,100 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and “eliminated” more than 350 “terrorists”.
