Israel has vowed to eliminate Hezbollah’s drone unit after several kamikaze drones penetrated the country’s air defences, killing four teenage Israeli soldiers and injuring nearly 60 others in an attack near Haifa on Sunday, according to officials.
Hezbollah’s Unit 127, which is responsible for the development and operation of the Lebanese terror group’s drones, has now become a top priority for the Israeli Air Force. Sources told *The Times of Israel* that Hezbollah’s drones have become more difficult to intercept than the frequent missile barrages launched by the group.
Air Force officials announced that Israel would be strengthening its aerial defences following an investigation into the attack. The investigation revealed that drones near the Golani training camp were mistakenly believed to have been destroyed. However, one drone managed to evade detection and caused significant damage.
Hezbollah launched multiple drones on Sunday, three of which crossed the border before being struck down by Israel’s Air Force, Navy, and the Iron Dome defence system. An investigation later revealed that one drone, pursued by Israeli jets and helicopters, had not been destroyed after briefly vanishing from radar. The UAV reappeared and continued its flight before striking the Golani training camp.
The explosion killed four 19-year-old soldiers: Omri Tamari, Yosef Hieb, Yoav Agmon, and Alon Amitay. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it retaliation for an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous week that killed 22 people.
Since Hezbollah escalated its daily attacks on Israel, the group has launched approximately 1,200 drones, with around 221 successfully bypassing Israel’s defences, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Orna Mizrahi, a senior research fellow at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies, warned that Hezbollah is increasingly relying on drones due to their lower cost and difficulty in detection compared to missiles. “They are small, very light, with a low radar signature,” Mizrahi told CNN.
Following Sunday’s attack, the Israeli Air Force announced it would expand the areas where warning systems are activated whenever a threat is detected. Witnesses said no sirens were triggered before the explosion at the Golani base, highlighting the need for improved response measures. The IDF also stated that all Hezbollah drones would be treated as active threats until there was definitive proof of a crash or interception.
Previously, Israel’s focus had been on Hezbollah’s missile-launching sites in Lebanon. The group has fired more than 100 projectiles daily at northern Israel. However, in recent days, Hezbollah’s rocket fire has begun reaching deeper into the country, with at least three missiles intercepted Monday as they targeted central Israel.
