Amir Avivi: “We see single drones powered by fiber optics, and it could be a swarm of dozens of drones that could be AI-powered.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, chairman of the Bitchonistim movement, said the growing use of explosive fiber-optic drones represents a significant battlefield challenge, but argued that the threat can be mitigated through a combination of military, intelligence, and technological measures.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Avivi said the rapid development of drone warfare has been demonstrated in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “Ukraine has produced more than eight million drones in the past year.”

“We have seen how explosive drones are capable of causing strategic damage, sinking almost the entire Russian fleet and damaging strategic aircraft and many soldiers. The Russians are also using these capabilities, and this is a significant change on the battlefield,” he said.

Referring to Lebanon, Avivi said current incidents involving fiber-optic drones reflect only part of the potential threat. “We see single drones powered by fiber optics, and it could be a swarm of dozens of drones that could be AI-powered,” he said.

He added that no single solution exists for the threat and compared it to other longstanding battlefield challenges. “There is no single solution.”

According to Avivi, effective countermeasures require a combination of intelligence operations targeting supply chains and operators, improved detection capabilities, defensive drones, laser systems, long-range firepower, and protective networks.

“The better the grip on the territory, the better intelligence and the better the countermeasure capability, the significantly reduced threat,” he said.

Avivi stated that Hamas employed fiber-optic drones during the October 7 attack, targeting Israeli detection systems, radars, antennas, and observation equipment.

He said the drones were later used against IDF surveillance drones operating over the Gaza Division.

“This is not a new threat,” he said, adding: “When we went inside, the phenomenon gradually disappeared.”

Addressing concerns that similar attacks could occur in Judea and Samaria, Avivi said the threat exists but argued that Israeli operational freedom in the area changes the security picture.

“This threat also exists in Judea and Samaria,” he said, but added that the IDF’s ability to conduct arrests, gather intelligence, and operate throughout the territory reduces the danger. “As long as an offensive trend is maintained in Judea and Samaria, the danger will be less.”

Avivi concluded by saying, “a complete solution can come in dismantling Hezbollah. If you dismantle Hezbollah, there will be no drones.”

The post High-ranking officer says disarming Hezbollah is key to combating explosive drones appeared first on World Israel News.

Drone experts say IDF must change tactics in the face of increasing threat posed by terror group’s explosive UAVs.

By World Israel News Staff

A defense expert warned about the deadly threat posed to Israeli troops by Hezbollah’s explosive drones, saying that the UAVs have given the group a strategic advantage it previously lacked.

“These nighttime drones are the very small Category 1 and Category 2 drones,” Cameron Chell, CEO of UAV manufacturer Draganfly, told Fox News Digital.

“They are generally used by squads on the ground to conduct tactical lethal missions or surveillance missions right in theater immediately. What they are able to do is use thermal sensors to fly at night and use heat signatures to spot IDF troops,” he added.

Chell stressed that the Israeli military will need to adjust its tactics for operations conducted under cover of darkness.

He emphasized that “Hezbollah now has nighttime capabilities, which is game changing.”

He added that the IDF should expect “an escalation of the use of drones and the innovation of asymmetric warfare in that particular area by Hezbollah.”

The IDF, he said, must “factor in the fact that Hezbollah has nighttime capabilities to at least do observation using thermal cameras, as well as strike capabilities.”

Chell also raised questions about who is supplying Hezbollah with what he described as a seemingly unlimited supply of explosive drones, suggesting they could be “coming via Iran, China, Russia, Afghanistan or the black market.”

He noted that the drones themselves are not particularly advanced.

Hezbollah is not “using stuff that is groundbreaking; this is very old technology and tactics that they are using,” Chell said.

In the weeks since the implementation of a Trump-administered ceasefire, more than a dozen Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and northern Israel have been killed by explosive drones launched by Hezbollah.

An Arab-Israeli civilian contractor performing work for the Defense Ministry was also killed by a drone in southern Lebanon.

The post Hezbollah drones are a ‘game-changer’ for IDF, says defense expert appeared first on World Israel News.

The slain soldier had dreamed of serving in an elite IDF combat unit since his teens.

By World Israel News Staff

An Israeli soldier serving in an elite commando unit was killed and three of his comrades were wounded by an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah near Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, a strategic position recently captured by the Israeli military.

The fallen soldier was identified as Staff Sgt. Adam Tzarfati, 20, of Rosh HaAyin in central Israel. Tzarfati served in the elite Unit 212 Maglan reconnaissance force.

According to a preliminary IDF investigation, Tzarfati’s unit had left the vicinity of Beaufort Castle and was operating on a nearby ridge near the village of Yochmor when it was targeted by an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah.

Tzarfati’s bereaved mother, Mali, told Hebrew-language outlet Ynet that her son was “a beloved child, adored by both family and friends.”

She added that he was a boy “full of life and love,” and that his death was a “loss to the world.”

Tzarfati’s father, Shai, said his son had dreamed of becoming a combat soldier in the IDF since the age of 15.

He noted that Tzarfati enlisted just two weeks after graduating from high school.

His acceptance into the elite commando unit was “the happiest day of his life,” his father said.

“Tzarfati fought with courage and heroism to defend our cities and towns against the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement eulogizing the fallen soldier.

“We share in his family’s profound grief and pray for the full recovery of our wounded from this difficult incident.”

Tzarfati is the 13th Israeli service member killed since the implementation of a Trump administration-brokered ceasefire in mid-April.

Since the ceasefire took effect, 13 soldiers and one civilian Defense Ministry contractor working in southern Lebanon have been killed.

Tzarfati’s death came just one day after another soldier, Michael Tyukin, was killed in an explosive drone attack.

The post Israeli commando killed, 3 others wounded in southern Lebanon appeared first on World Israel News.

A 19-year-old witnessed his father’s death in a deadly drone strike in southern Lebanon.

By World Israel News Staff

An Arab citizen of Israel was killed in southern Lebanon after an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah struck while he was working as a civilian contractor for Israel’s Defense Ministry.

Amer Hujirat, 44, was operating heavy engineering equipment to demolish Hezbollah infrastructure near the town of Aitaroun, close to the group’s stronghold of Bint Jbeil, when the attack occurred.

Hujirat’s 19-year-old son, who was not named by Hebrew-language media, was working alongside him. Speaking to Ynet, he described witnessing the fatal moment.

“It’s very difficult — I saw my father killed in front of my eyes,” the son said. “It was shocking.”

The two were employed by a company contracted by Israel’s Defense Ministry to carry out demolition work in southern Lebanon. He claimed they had not been provided with adequate protection by the Israel Defense Forces.

“At first, a tank was with us,” Hujirat recalled, saying that after a few minutes, it repositioned and moved almost out of sight, “behind a house.”

Hujirat said the pair had been working for about 90 minutes before he noticed a drone approaching.

“Suddenly, I saw a small, fast drone hovering behind an excavator,” he said. “It flew low and focused its camera on us. We tried to run, but the drone chased us and exploded.”

Hujirat’s son was lightly wounded by shrapnel and evacuated to Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat for medical treatment.

Family members described Hujirat as a generous and compassionate man. His cousin, Ahmed, told Ynet that he was widely known for helping others.

“Amer had a good heart. He was always there for people and gave everything he could to anyone who needed help,” he said. “We hope we’ll have the strength to cope with this disaster.”

The deadly incident comes amid renewed hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, during which the terror group has increasingly relied on first-person view (FPV) drones—small, maneuverable devices equipped with explosives.

These drones are relatively inexpensive to produce and have become a growing threat to Israeli forces and personnel operating near the border.

The post Israeli civilian contractor killed by Hezbollah drone in Lebanon appeared first on World Israel News.

Iran-backed proxy group takes responsibility for explosion at Eilat Port caused by drone impact.

By World Israel News Staff

An explosive drone fired by an Iranian proxy group penetrated Israeli airspace and struck the Port of Eilat on Wednesday evening, wounding two people.

The Iran-affiliated Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched two UAVs bound for Eilat, one of which was intercepted over the Red Sea by the Israeli Navy.

Footage shows the explosive-laden drone impact in Eilat this evening.

The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched two drones in the attack, one which was intercepted by an Israeli Navy Sa'ar 5-class corvette .

The second drone hit the Eilat port, causing damage and… pic.twitter.com/xibNeclCoO

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 25, 2024

The other drone impacted a structure at the port, causing damage and injuring two people.

Two civilian employees at the port, a 68-year-old man and a 28-year-old man, were lightly wounded by shrapnel and treated at the scene by Magen David Adom paramedics.

Both men did not require hospitalization, the ambulance and first-responder medical service added.

Footage circulating on social media showed a large plume of smoke rising over the impact site.

Hebrew-language media reported that the blast had sparked fires in the port area and near the nearby Herod’s Palace hotel.

Since October 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has launched numerous explosive drones at the Jewish State.

Early Wednesday morning, the terror group’s drone impacted an army base near the small Negev desert community of Sapir.

The IDF said that the drone had caused damage to the base, but that no troops were injured.

Also on Wednesday, the group attempted to attack numerous sites in the southern Golan Heights, triggering sirens in Ramat Magshimim, Avnei Eitan, and other communities.

In June, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched a drone that exploded near Eilat, though it failed to reach its likely target of the port.

The group has also claimed to have launched crise missiles at Israel, all of which have been intercepted.

The post Explosive drone hits Eilat port, wounding two appeared first on World Israel News.