Hezbollah makes more drones less rockets, Israeli report says

Israeli media reports said that Hezbollah has ramped up its domestic production of explosive-laden UAVs and attack or reconnaissance drones as an easier and cheaper alternative to precision missiles and rockets.

Israeli news portal ynet said Tuesday that Hezbollah has drawn tactical inspiration from the effectiveness of drones in Ukraine as it aims for greater self-sufficiency and less reliance on Iran.

Hezbollah has said it can manufacture its own drones.

Last week, on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday, the Israeli military struck several sites in Beirut’s southern suburbs, saying they held underground facilities used by Hezbollah for drone production.

The Israeli army said in a statement that Hezbollah was "working to produce thousands of drones under the guidance and financing of Iranian terrorist groups."

Hezbollah "used drones extensively in its attacks against the State of Israel and is working to expand its drone industry and production in preparation for the next war," the army statement said.

ynet said the strikes were approved despite internal debate among Israeli leadership.

A Hezbollah official denied that there were drone production facilities at the targeted locations.

The Lebanese army said it tried to convince Israel not to carry out the strikes and to instead let Lebanese officials go in to search the area under the mechanism laid out in the ceasefire agreement, but that the Israeli army refused, so Lebanese soldiers moved away from the locations after they were sent.

Hezbollah’s drone program

Hezbollah began using Iranian-made drones after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000 and sent the first reconnaissance Mirsad drone over Israel’s airspace in 2004. Hezbollah’s drone program received substantial assistance from Iran, and the UAVs are believed to be assembled by experts of the militant group in Lebanon.

Hezbollah launched roughly 1,500 surveillance and attack drones during its war with Israel.

In October 2024, a drone laden with explosives evaded Israel’s multilayered air-defense system and slammed into a mess hall at a military training camp deep inside Israel, killing four soldiers and wounding dozens.

Drones are harder to detect and track than rockets or missiles

Drones, or UAVs, are unmanned aircraft that can be operated from afar. Drones can enter, surveil and attack enemy territory more discreetly than missiles and rockets. Israel has a formidable arsenal of drones, capable of carrying out spy missions and attacks. It has developed a drone capable of reaching archenemy Iran, some 1500 kilometers away.

But Israel’s enemies have caught Israel off-guard on a number of occasions over the past year, often with deadly consequences. In July, a drone launched from Yemen travelled some 270 kilometers from Israel’s southern tip, all the way to Tel Aviv, slamming into a downtown building and killing one person without it having been intercepted.

Drones are harder to detect for a number of reasons: They fly slowly and often include plastic components, having a weaker thermal footprint with radar systems than powerful rockets and missiles. The trajectory is also harder to track. Drones can have roundabout flight paths, can come from any direction, fly lower to the ground and — because they are much smaller than rockets — can be mistaken for birds.

Israel spent years focusing on strengthening its air defense systems to improve protection against rockets and missiles. But drones were not seen as a top priority.