IDF troops improvise solutions as Hezbollah’s ‘simple’ drone threat grows

In the absence of a technological and operational response to Hezbollah’s latest drone threat, Israel Defense Forces troops in Southern Lebanon are improvising solutions to deal with the danger.

Among other measures, soldiers are deploying nets designed to trap the drones before they explode on troops and vehicles. But some of these nets are improvised and do not necessarily get the job done.

It should be noted that the latest threat involves first-person view (FPV) drones. These are relatively simple, low-altitude aircraft similar to commercial types that can be bought online. Some of these drones are guided via fiber optic cables, making them effectively immune to electronic jamming.

These “simple” drones can be lethal. This week, two Israelis, Sgt. Idan Fooks, a soldier in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, and Amer Hujeirat, who worked for a contracting company, were killed in Hezbollah FPV drone strikes.

The IDF should apparently have prepared for this in advance and equipped the troops with the proper means to confront the latest threat, one that was known for years. A senior officer told Israel Hayom: “They woke up too late. There needs to be a process of developing techniques and drills, while learning from the war between Russia and Ukraine. This should have been done long ago, by formulating a comprehensive concept for protecting the forces and attacking the threat.”

The senior officer added that the IDF should have arranged in advance for nets to protect the soldiers, along with other measures in which the Israeli security establishment has not invested enough in recent months, despite the threat being well known. “They should have made sure ahead of time that there were nets to protect the soldiers,” he said.

According to the officer, the IDF has set up teams trying to deal with the problem, but they have not been able to deliver results in time. “There needs to be a senior officer, someone serious, working at a fast pace. For example, intelligence should have been gathered to find out where the equipment for the drones originated, and action taken to strike it. This is not something that should only start being handled when it is already exploding on soldiers.

Hezbollah is learning

“Our luck is that Hezbollah is still only learning. When they become adept, we will be in serious trouble. The IDF did not expect the drone threat at this level of intensity, and that was a mistake, because the writing was on the wall. We should have prepared long ago. Unlike Gaza, which is a small area where it is relatively possible to control what enters, Lebanon is a large area. It is impossible to control what reaches Hezbollah. The organization can arm itself and obtain outside knowledge relatively easily,” he said.

The IDF says some of the solutions for contending with the drone threat are already being integrated, while additional options are being examined continuously. The solution to the problem is multilayered and includes proper action by troops, vigilance and defensive measures, alongside offensive capabilities aimed at destroying drone operators and reaching deeper into the supply chain.

Experiments have already been conducted on technologies with the potential to provide operational solutions, including cooperation with companies overseas. At the same time, efforts are being made to reduce the gap in warning time, to give troops several seconds to activate drills that have already been written and are now being validated and implemented in the field.

The IDF assessment is that a force that operates properly in the field, keeps a skyward watch, and is equipped with suitable ammunition, weapons and means such as optical sights that lock onto the target, will be able to significantly improve its ability to counter the threat. Some forces already have this sight.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.