Hezbollah has begun using small drones guided by fibre-optic cables in attacks against Israel, adopting a technology that is difficult to stop with electronic jamming and has been widely used in the war in Ukraine, according to the Associated Press.
Unlike most commercially adapted drones, which rely on radio signals that can be disrupted by electronic warfare systems, fibre-optic drones remain physically connected to their operators through a thin, near-invisible cable. The AP report said this means standard jamming techniques cannot break the control link, as there is no wireless signal to intercept or block.
The drones are also difficult to detect because they are small, fly at low altitude and are made from lightweight materials, giving them a limited radar and thermal signature.
An Israeli military official told AP that fibre-optic drones had become a relatively new threat during the latest round of fighting with Hezbollah. The official said Hezbollah appeared to have turned to the drones because Israeli air defences had been more successful against larger rockets, missiles and other drones.
Israel believes the drones are locally made and relatively easy to produce, requiring an off-the-shelf drone, a small amount of explosives and transparent wire available on the consumer market, the official said.
The official described the drones as the biggest threat to Israeli troops operating inside Lebanon.
He said the Israeli military was working on technological solutions, while also taking ground-level protective measures, including adding nets and cages to military vehicles.
Ran Kochav, a former head of the Israeli military’s air defence command, told AP that Israel was struggling to defend against the drones.
“They fly very low and very fast, and they are very small, it’s very difficult to detect them, and even after they’re detected, they are really hard to track,” he said.
The use of fibre-optic drones marks another stage in the contest between Israel’s advanced air defence systems and lower-cost weapons that are harder to detect and intercept.
The technology has been widely used in Ukraine, where fibre-optic drones have become an important tool for avoiding electronic warfare systems. Analysts say Hezbollah’s use of the drones shows how battlefield innovations from the war in Ukraine are increasingly influencing other conflicts.