For weeks, the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah has been increasingly attacking Israel with kamikaze drones. In the war against Ukraine, these attacks are a daily occurrence. But Israel has failed to find a countermeasure against them. Why?
This video is indicative: an unmanned aerial vehicle with explosives crashes into an Israeli battery of the “Iron Dome“ system. The famous Israeli air defense system, which costs billions, is attacked by a drone that costs only a few hundred euros. The footage has not been confirmed unequivocally, but experts consider it authentic.
The video was published on social media about a week ago by the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah, which Germany, the United States and several Sunni Arab states designate as a terrorist organization. For Hezbollah, the attack is a huge propaganda success. And the Israeli army seems more vulnerable than ever.
Drones with fiber optics as a secret weapon
Since March, the Lebanese Hezbollah has increasingly relied on so-called FPV drones (First Person View – “first person view&rdash;), which provide pilots with a real-time image of the target. After these attacks, Israeli soldiers have been killed and injured. But what is more worrying for the Israeli military is that more and more of these drones are controlled not by radio frequencies, but by fiber optics. This means that both locating the drones and disrupting communication with them, the so-called “jamming“, become practically impossible with the means of classic electronic warfare.
In the war in Ukraine, fiber-optic drones have been used en masse since 2024 - by both Ukraine and Russia. The fight against them is very difficult and both sides are rather improvising. In addition to stretching protective nets, simple mechanical means such as cutting cables or shooting with hunting rifles are often used against optical drones. But the main problem - that they are almost impossible to locate - has not yet been solved by either side.
The government appeals for patience
Many observers are surprised that even the Israeli army does not seem better prepared for this challenge. "Armies that are prepared for major wars are suddenly faced with completely new challenges," explains drone expert Neri Zin in an interview with DW. According to the CEO of Israeli defense startup Axon Vision, it is precisely for large military forces that it is not easy to adapt their military operations quickly enough: "A tank that costs tens of millions can suddenly be attacked by an FPV drone that can be bought on Alibaba for $400."
The Ukrainian ambassador to Israel, Yevgeny Korniychuk, expresses dissatisfaction with the fact that not enough attention is paid in Israel to the experience of Ukrainians. "Unfortunately, we do not see much interest from the Israeli leadership in this area," the diplomat told the Israeli news portal Ynet News. An Israeli army spokesman responded to a DW inquiry that the challenges in other military conflicts around the world are also being closely monitored. The Israeli armed forces are "at the forefront of the race to develop measures against this new threat."
Meanwhile, the topic is also putting increasing pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister told Israeli media that he had ordered "the creation of a special project against the threat of drones." At the same time, he called for patience: "This will take time," Netanyahu said. The possible technical solutions being discussed are diverse. They range from early visual and acoustic localization of aircraft to the destruction of electronics using microwave and laser technology - all this using artificial intelligence.
Solutions must be cheap and accessible
“Above all, we need simple solutions – and we need them now, not years down the road”, emphasizes drone expert Neri Zin. His startup is also working on solutions to repel attacks from drones with fiber optics. They are betting on systems to protect smaller units that can be mounted on vehicles. The idea: visual and thermal cameras record the environment. The data is analyzed immediately by specially trained artificial intelligence systems. Finally, information about the targets is transmitted to weapons systems.
Zinn says his company already has clients in many countries - including Europe. After all, drone warfare is always an economic conflict. Solutions must be cheap, otherwise absurd situations will arise: “I heard a general from the United Arab Emirates discussing the costs of the war with Iran - he explained how they were shooting down “Shahed” drones with interceptor missiles, each of which costs eight million dollars.”