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Hezbollah has begun using first-person view (FPV) drones against Israel, causing casualties among Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops deployed along the Lebanese border. While the threat is growing, it will also backfire for Hezbollah. Israel is already mobilizing its defense technologies against drones across multiple fronts, which will result in a major setback for Iran and its terrorist proxies in the region.
Hezbollah’s FPV drones fly on fiber optic tether wires, which make them difficult, if not impossible, to jam with current countermeasures. Hezbollah did not invent this new threat but was likely observing the development of drone warfare in the war in Ukraine and adapting its use accordingly.
On May 16, the IDF said that Capt. Maoz Israel Recanati was killed in southern Lebanon, the seventh Israeli military death since a nominal ceasefire—one unobserved by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon—went into effect on April 17. A civilian contractor was also killed during this period in an explosive drone attack. While the IDF does not disclose how many of its recent casualties were inflicted by FPV drones, Israel is focused on confronting and countering the evolving drone threat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a weekly cabinet meeting on May 18 that “the best minds in the country” are working on the drone threat, adding that they have “no budget constraint.” To counter drones, Israel will bring together its defense companies and technological capacities, as it has done in the past.
In 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) brought together Israeli companies to confront drone threats. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who was then the director general of the ministry, initiated this effort. The goal was to evaluate different concepts from around two dozen companies.
“Following the analysis of current trial results, the IMOD plans to select several technologies for accelerated development and production processes, aiming to deploy new operational capabilities immediately,” the ministry said at the time.
Zamir has continued to push for solutions. In December 2025, he visited the IDF’s 80th Division, which is responsible for Israel’s border with Egypt and the Eilat area along the Red Sea, which has been targeted by Houthi drones launched from Yemen.
“The drone threat is an evolving threat - we are addressing it, improving the operational response, and will continue to enhance it in the near term and in the multi-year plan. We are building strength and developing strong defensive capabilities,” Zamir said at the time.
Zamir said in early May 2026 that no expense should be spared to stop drones. To that end, Israel is harnessing not only its defense industry but also key parts of its military bureaucracy, such as the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (MAFAT), along with other directorates and commands.
The laser focus from Israel’s prime minister, top defense officials, and the IDF reveals how quickly the country can move to address emerging threats. This is how Israel pioneered the Iron Dome, a defense system that has intercepted thousands of rockets. The Iron Dome has since been upgraded to address other types of threats as well. As a result, Israel now has one of the best defended airspaces in the world. It is likely that Israel will now develop some of the most advanced technology for countering drone threats as well.
As drones come in a wide variety of types and sizes, some may need to be shot down by Iron Dome interceptors, while others may be downed by small drones. Israeli companies have developed a range of systems for countering these threats. For example, Smart Shooter has developed a system that can be mounted on a rifle to shoot down drones. This system has already been used by the IDF in Lebanon, according to a recent video.
As Israel drives headlong to address the emerging Hezbollah FPV threat, its technological innovations will likely inform wider regional efforts to counter drone warfare, including against Iran’s proxy militias. For instance, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have used drones to strike U.S. facilities in the country and target the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.
Meanwhile, Iran has deployed drones against Kurdish opposition groups based in Iraq. Iran has likewise used drones against Gulf states, particularly the UAE. In the latest such attack, an Iranian drone sparked a fire near the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant on May 17.
Israel’s counter-drone efforts will lead to future security and undermine Hezbollah. Not only will Hezbollah see its wings clipped, but its attacks may also have sown the seeds of a regional counter-drone revolution.
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