Sarah Khalil
The New Arab / May 19, 2026
Israeli media says Hezbollah’s explosive drones are restricting up to 80% of Israeli army operations in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s explosive drones are limiting around 80% of the Israeli forces’ assaults in southern Lebanon, according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, as the armed group’s growing drone capabilities continue to challenge Israeli forces despite months of fighting.
The broadcaster reported on Monday that the Israeli military estimated the threat posed by Hezbollah drones had severely restricted the army’s freedom of movement in southern Lebanon, alongside mounting battlefield losses.
“Many military operations are not being carried out during daylight hours” due to fears of drone attacks, the report said, adding that anti-drone systems are only being distributed to a limited number of soldiers in each company because of equipment shortages.
Hezbollah drones have become a growing concern for Benjamin Netanyahu, who previously described them as a “major threat” and called on the military to find solutions.
Israeli media reports said Netanyahu has since ordered the creation of a special multi-agency project bringing together the military, defence ministry, defence companies and civilian experts to rapidly develop systems aimed at countering Hezbollah’s growing drone threat.
The broadcaster also cited sources within Israeli military intelligence, known as Aman, saying Hezbollah had recently shifted from a structured command-and-control model to guerrilla-style warfare.
According to the sources, Hezbollah fighters were now operating in small cells, carrying out rapid opportunistic attacks and moving between villages across southern Lebanon.
The report added that some fighters were operating more independently following the assassinations of senior commanders in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
Retired Lebanese brigadier general and military expert Bassam Yassin said Hezbollah’s drones had become one of the group’s most effective tools against Israeli forces because they were targeting Israeli troop movements, vehicles and stationed units in ways that Israel had struggled to counter.
“These drones are now striking Israeli units, Israeli movements, stationed vehicles and deployed forces,” Yassin told The New Arab. “There is still no real solution for them, no proper way of dealing with or intercepting them, and this is restricting many Israeli activities.”
He said Israeli forces had increasingly begun hiding vehicles between trees and behind buildings out of fear of drone and missile attacks.
“You can see how Israeli vehicles are being concealed between trees and behind homes because there is clear fear of these drones and guided missiles,” he said, whereas previously “Israel had positioned its forces on mountain tops and in locations that give it visibility.”
Israeli forces were no longer carrying out large-scale offensive movements in southern Lebanon.
“While we can’t verify that Israeli operations had been restricted by 80%, what is clear is that Israel is no longer carrying out major offensive manoeuvres,” he said. “Most of the units are fixed in place, with only very limited movements in some areas.”
Yassin said fibre-optic-guided drones had instead become central to Hezbollah’s battlefield tactics because they could conduct reconnaissance and carry anti-armour payloads while remaining resistant to Israeli electronic warfare systems.
“Israeli movements are now very limited and mostly logistical,” he said. “So we can say these drones have become the most effective method available against Israeli superiority and are succeeding in inflicting damage.”
Last week, Israel approved a plan worth around $700 million aimed at countering Hezbollah drones.
The initiative is reportedly being treated as a high-priority effort with effectively unlimited funding, focused on developing mobile defence systems for troops and armoured vehicles, expanding radar coverage and specialised anti-drone munitions.
The plan reportedly includes deploying fixed radar systems along the northern border and developing two new defence systems designed to protect troops directly in combat zones.
One of the systems is intended for moving forces and is based on a concept similar to Israel’s Trophy active defence system used on tanks and armoured vehicles. It would be designed to detect and destroy explosive drones before impact.
The second system would involve small mobile radar units for infantry forces, providing soldiers with real-time warnings of incoming aerial threats.
Israeli forces have also reportedly begun adapting battlefield practices, including installing protective canopies over tanks and deploying portable radar systems as part of a broader emergency anti-drone build-up.
However, Yassin said such systems were unlikely to provide an effective long-term solution because Hezbollah’s drones were difficult to detect and largely immune to jamming technologies.
“In my view, it will be very difficult to detect Hezbollah’s drones because of their small size. They are made of fibre, so their radar signature is almost non-existent,” he said.
“And because they are guided via fibre-optic cables, not wirelessly, they are not exposed to jamming,” he added.
“For all these reasons, I do not believe this system will be effective. Over time, it will become clear that it is extremely difficult, except by chance, to intercept any of Hezbollah’s drones,” Yassin said.
Sarah Khalil is a news editor and senior journalist at The New Arab
