Israeli army commanders ‘frustrated’ over drone threat in Lebanon: Report

The Israeli army has entered the war in Lebanon without sufficient tools to counter Hezbollah drones, senior military officials amid “frustration” among field commanders over failure to counter the projectiles, local media reported Tuesday.

The Israeli army has reported injuries among its soldiers almost daily due to drone attacks on positions where its forces are deployed. It recently announced at least one soldier was killed in a drone explosion in southern Lebanon.

“We entered the war in Lebanon without sufficient tools to deal with the drone threat,” Army Radio said, citing unnamed senior military officials.

“The threat of explosive drones poses a challenge to Israeli army forces in southern Lebanon amid a series of daily attacks carried out by Hezbollah.”

The broadcaster said the issue of drone attacks by Hezbollah “drew significant attention” during discussions at the Israeli army’s senior command forum in Ramat David in northern Israel on Monday.

Deep frustration

Israeli media said field commanders are frustrated over the army’s failure to counter the growing threat of Hezbollah drones.

“The commander of the 282nd Artillery Brigade, currently participating in the war in Lebanon, Col. (A), told commanders: The drone threat represents a major operational challenge we face, and we must think about how to better organize ourselves to confront it,” the radio said.

According to the outlet, commanders of Israeli army combat units currently involved in the war in Lebanon have expressed “deep frustration” over the drone threat and the limited tools available to deal with it.

“There is not much that can be done. Briefings given to forces are limited to: Stay alert, and if you spot a drone, shoot it,” the radio said, citing an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon.

The broadcaster said some Israeli army units have already begun developing independent responses to the drone threat, such as deploying nets over sites, homes and windows so that drones get caught in them and do not hit their targets.

“It is an improvised response. We have started deploying it with some forces, but it is far from sufficient,” an Israeli officer in southern Lebanon said.

Repeated failure

Army Radio said this is not the first time drones have been used, nor is it the “first failure” to counter them.

“The Israeli army had ample time to prepare for the drone threat, since their widespread use in the Russia-Ukraine war in mid-2023, and after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, when Hamas disrupted surveillance and firing systems along the Gaza border using explosive drones.”

The station also noted that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reprimanded Air Force Commander Tomer Bar about six months ago through a command memo over the air force’s failure to deal with the drone threat.

The Israeli army has mounted deadly strikes across Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah, killing more than 2,520 people, injuring over 7,800 and displacing over 1.6 million since March 2, according to official Lebanese figures.

A 10-day ceasefire was declared between Lebanon and Israel on April 17, though Tel Aviv has repeatedly violated it.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said Lebanon and Israel agreed to extend the truce by three weeks following a second round of talks between the two sides in Washington.

The Hezbollah group has carried out a series of drone attacks targeting Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, citing Israel’s repeated violations of the truce.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul