The New York Times reports:

An explosive drone snaked between the hills of southern Lebanon before striking an Israeli armored personnel carrier. Two days later, another slammed into a tank. Three days after that, a third pounded into a missile-defense system.

Each day, multiple drones attack Israeli forces, the Israeli military has said, and with lethal effect. In the past week alone, they have killed three soldiers.

The relentless drone attacks by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, have exposed cracks in Israel’s defenses, shocking its public and forcing a rushed search for solutions by its military and political leaderships.

They have sown fear among Israeli ground troops in Lebanon and challenged Israel’s longstanding air superiority in Lebanese skies. The drones have also revealed a shortcoming in Israel’s strategy to seize territory in southern Lebanon, build a buffer zone and displace Hezbollah militants beyond the range of antitank missiles that have plagued tens of thousands of civilians living in northern Israel.

The drone onslaught, however, was no surprise: As early as 2024, military officers warned that Hezbollah would likely start using drones that are controlled through thin fiber-optic cables to evade electronic jamming, according to three Israeli officials who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media. Fiber-optic drones have also become commonplace on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Despite the warnings, the military’s top brass appeared to do little to prepare for the threat, the officials said. When Israeli soldiers started facing daily drone attacks in April, the military still had not adopted simple countermeasures that are routine in Ukraine, like suspending protective nets over stationary soldiers and equipment.

“Two years ago, we discussed how Hezbollah would deploy these drones,” said Guy Hazut, a reserve brigadier general who led an effort in the Israeli military to learn lessons between 2024 and 2025. “But the security establishment needs a slap in the face to wake up.” [Continue reading…]