Lebanon: $300 drones of the resistance ridicule Israeli defense systems (videos)

By Al-Mayadeen

Precision operations carried out by Hezbollah using FPV drones are causing increasing losses to Israeli invasion units in southern Lebanon, highlighting the inability of the occupying army to neutralize a low-cost but increasingly effective threat.

Three Israeli occupation army soldiers, posted near a tank, heard a slight buzzing sound before identifying the source. Within seconds, the fiber optic-equipped FPV drone appeared in their field of view, too late for them to react.

Live transmission abruptly stopped as the drone exploded nearby, killing one soldier and injuring six others, in an incident emblematic of the escalating drone warfare led by Hezbollah along the Lebanese border, as reported by The Guardian.

Such incidents are becoming more frequent in southern Lebanon, where the Hezbollah Islamic resistance movement has integrated drones into its guerrilla campaign against Israeli aggression.

Footage of FPV drones striking Israeli tanks, bulldozers, and soldiers is circulating more widely.

The one-minute video from Friday, May 5, begins by showing an FPV drone flying over an area controlled by the Israeli army. The drone is seen following an Israeli soldier moving near a Merkava tank in the newly established Israeli position of Nimr Al-Jamal, facing the Lebanese border town of Alma al-Shaab in the south of the country.

Fiber Optic Drones

These drones are inexpensive, “consumable,” and difficult to evade. Unlike traditional radio-controlled systems, they are connected to their operators by fiber optic cables several kilometers long, making them impervious to electronic jamming.

They also allow operators, through live video feeds, to directly guide explosion points that trigger upon impact. This FPV functionality is now being used to target Israeli armored units and personnel with increasing effectiveness.

Hezbollah has used these drones to kill a bulldozer driver, bypass the Merkava tanks’ Trophy defense system, and repeatedly strike military positions.

An Israeli military official stated that “Israel recognizes the threat posed by drones” and is working to develop “detection and interception capabilities for these weapons.” A senior officer has been tasked with finding solutions as “Israel” has also deployed FPV drones in Lebanon.

An Inexpensive and Guerrilla-Adapted Weapon

For Hezbollah, FPV drones are an economical means to inflict damage on a more heavily armed military force and increase the cost of continuing Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah’s military media has released a video titled “The Pride of Lebanese Industry,” accompanied by the Hebrew text “נכגנדנדִנדנ֕נד֘”, נִכֵּרֵוְנֵוָהֹ “Yawman Filistiin”, Joumhouriyet Stand. The video shows footage inside one of Hezbollah’s drone manufacturing facilities.

A Hezbollah source stated that this development reflects structural changes within the group. “This evolution is part of efforts to overcome supply difficulties following the disruption of the Syrian supply route after Bashar al-Assad’s fall in late 2024,” the source said.

The group is increasingly relying on locally manufactured systems. The production cost of each drone is around $300 to $400, thanks to 3D printing and “electronically available components that can be adapted for dual civil and military use,” the source added.

Hezbollah’s Evolving Warfare Tactics

The use of FPV drones also reflects a return to guerrilla-style tactics aimed at increasing pressure on Israeli occupation forces in southern Lebanon.

The estimated range of the drones, spanning several tens of kilometers, necessitates “Israel” to reassess the depth of its “buffer zone” in the region. Previous Israeli plans had set the “buffer zone” at approximately 11 km, based on Hezbollah’s use of guided anti-tank weapons in previous confrontations.

Israeli Countermeasures and Technical Challenges

Despite its “Iron Dome” system, costing billions of dollars, “Israel” has not succeeded in intercepting these small drones. In some recent cases, soldiers have even attempted to shoot them down with their personal weapons.

March 2026 – Hezbollah’s military media released images of the Islamic resistance’s attack on an enemy Israeli Army Merkava tank at the recently established site of Markaba in southern Lebanon.

An Israeli military source stated that intelligence units across the armed forces are working on “more effective alert models” and advancing research on new drone counter-technologies.

“FPV drones with fiber optic cables cannot be jammed by electronic warfare, and they are harder to detect,” said Rob Lee, a senior researcher within the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program.

Lee added that armed forces worldwide are now prioritizing countermeasures against drone tactics observed for the first time in Ukraine.

Lessons Learned from the War in Ukraine

FPV drones with fiber optic technology emerged in the Ukraine war in late 2024 in response to widespread electronic jamming.

Both sides tested these systems, but Russia made particularly intensive use due to easier access to fiber optic materials.

A Hezbollah source acknowledged that the group had studied their battlefield impact in Ukraine, where these drones proved highly effective.

Beyond battlefield damage, FPV drones also serve a propaganda function. Videos showing soldiers moments before impact have circulated widely in both Lebanon and Ukraine, enhancing their psychological impact.

Hezbollah’s media branch recently released drone-captured footage interspersed with images of a golden eagle hunting, set to music under the title “We Will Hunt You Down.”

May 12, 2026 – Al-Mayadeen – Translation: Chronicle of Palestine