How Hezbollah drones breached Israel's sophisticated defenses
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is escalating. Despite the elimination of several top leaders of the militant group in past two weeks—Hezbollah continues to retaliate. Late Sunday, the group launched a drone strike on an Israeli army base in the northern region, resulting in four soldiers' deaths—marking one of the deadliest attacks since the war began last October. While Hezbollah often targets Israel with rockets and drones—breaching the Israeli defense system is rare. How did they succeed this time?
Concerns raised over Hezbollah's growing drone power
Hezbollah launched an attack on an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military training camp in Binyamina near Haifa, resulting in four soldiers' deaths and 61 injuries. Claiming responsibility, Hezbollah stated it targeted the Golani Brigade's training camp in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon that killed 22 and injured 117. The group utilized a "swarm of drones" in the assault, which occurred between Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Questions raised over Israeli defense system's efficacy
Hezbollah's claim came shortly after releasing an audio message from its slain leader, Hassan Nasrallah, urging members to "defend your people, your family, your nation, your values, and your dignity." The IDF reported that an unidentified aerial vehicle struck the army camp, resulting in the deaths. Notably, Israel employs advanced air defense systems to intercept projectiles, but there were reportedly no alerts in the Binyamina area during the attack, raising concerns about how the Hezbollah drones penetrated Israeli territory.
Hezbollah's strategy to bypass Israeli defense revealed
Hezbollah claimed that it fired a barrage of rockets toward Nahrariya and Acre, towns in northern Israel, to keep Israel's air defense systems engaged while launching a swarm of drones simultaneously. The militant group said, "These drones broke through the Israel defense radars without detection and reached its target at the training camp of the elite Golani Brigade in Binyamina."
Hezbollah's Mirsad drones breach Israeli airspace
According to a report by The Times of Israel, said Hezbollah launched two Mirsad drones—which entered Israeli airspace from the sea. Mirsad 1—the group's primary suicide drone—has been in use for over two decades. Experts from the Alma Research Centre, an Israeli institute, saidthe drone is based on the Iranian Mohajer-2 model. It boasts a 120-kilometer assault range, a maximum speed of 370 kmph, can carry up to 40 kilograms of explosives, and fly at altitudes up to 3,000 meters.
Israel to investigate how drone breached defense cover
In the Binyamina attack, Israeli radars tracked two drones; one was shot down, triggering sirens in the western Galilee area, according to The Times of Israel. The Israel Air Force pursued the second drone but lost it as it flew low to the ground. The military believed it either crashed or was intercepted, so sirens did not sound. This drone ultimately struck the camp. While Israel's Iron Dome effectively intercepts rockets, it struggles with low-flying drones like the Mirsad-1.
Defense system not foolproof: What an Israeli official said
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that the military would investigate how the drone entered without triggering an alarm. While Israel has intercepted hundreds of drones from Lebanon during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war since October of last year, its air defense systems are not foolproof, an Israeli security official told The Associated Press (AP) in August.
'Smaller drones more challenging to intercept'
Drones are smaller and slower than missiles, making them more challenging to intercept, especially when launched close to the border, which reduces reaction time. Sunday's attack marks not the first time Mirsad-1 has evaded Israel's defenses; earlier this year, Hezbollah drones flew undetected over Israeli territory before returning to Lebanon, according to The Jerusalem Post.
