Hezbollah's drone warfare: A challenge for Israel

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

In light of Israel's air force superiority, Hezbollah had to develop an alternative weapon, and thus emerged what became known as the "drone war." 

In this war, two prominent challenges stood out: the precision assassination of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in an apartment deep in the suburb and, in return, Hezbollah's breach of the Meron base bypassing the Iron Dome system.

For Israel, facing Hamas' drones in the south and Hezbollah's drones in the north necessitated a technological response. As it flies toward its target, each drone uses a GPS system to determine its location.

However, in a bid to disrupt Hamas' signals for its drones internally and to hinder Hezbollah's drone signals from the north, Israel has jammed the GPS system in its airspace. Concurrently, Israel has developed its technology, known as GPS Dome 2, to guide its drones.

On the military front, Israel's focus also turns toward Hezbollah. Israel is wary of Hezbollah's aerial capabilities, possessing 2,000 combat, surveillance, and suicide drones used by the party for the first time, according to Israeli reports.

While Hezbollah manufactures some of these drones in Lebanon, the majority are Iranian-made, capable of replacing warplanes, according to Israeli website Alma. 

Despite their small size, their advantage lies in their ability to carry 20 kilograms of explosives and reach speeds of up to 20 kilometers per hour.

What is most concerning for Israel is Hezbollah's ability to launch dozens of drones simultaneously due to their small size and low cost, allowing the party to produce large quantities, according to Tal Amber, an Israeli expert at the American Institute "Fisher." 

At that point, it would be difficult for Israeli defense systems to counter this attack, especially given the challenge of detecting these drones.

In response to this situation, Israel began developing new defensive systems last month, testing the "Spider" system capable of dealing with drones, ballistic missiles, and precision-guided munitions.