4 IDF troops wounded, one severely, by roadside bomb in south Lebanon

Amid growing public anger over Hezbollah drone toll, Netanyahu claims he warned of the danger six years ago, but doesn’t say why it wasn’t addressed

A roadside bomb hit four Israel Defense Forces soldiers overnight in south Lebanon, leaving one of them in serious condition, the military said Sunday.

An officer was also moderately hurt in the overnight blast, while another officer and a soldier each sustained light injuries, the military said, adding that all four troops were taken to a hospital for treatment.

It was unclear whether the bomb, likely planted by Hezbollah, was placed before or during the ceasefire in Lebanon that US President Donald Trump announced on April 16, or the Iran ceasefire that began on April 8.

Shortly before announcing the roadside blast, the IDF called on residents to flee at least a kilometer (0.6 miles) away from the southern Lebanese villages of Irzay, Merouaniyeh, Babliyeh and Baisariyah.

“In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you,” said army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

Lebanese state media reported several strikes in the country’s south, including before the warning was issued.

Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the broader regional war on March 2. US-brokered Israeli-Lebanese talks — the neighboring enemy states’ highest-level contact in decades — having failed to bring the conflict to a close, with Lebanon demanding an Israeli withdrawal and Israel demanding that Hezbollah be disarmed. The Iran-backed terror group itself rejects direct talks with Israel and says its arms are not up for discussion.

Hezbollah on Sunday fired several missiles and drones at IDF troops in southern Lebanon and at Israeli communities on the Lebanese border, without any injuries, according to the military.

In Israel, apparent Hezbollah drones triggered sirens in the border communities of Manara and Margaliot on Sunday morning, and in several communities in the western Galilee in the afternoon.

The military also said several rockets and drones struck near troops in southern Lebanon overnight and in the morning, with one drone triggering sirens in the border community of Misgav Am.

Air defenses intercepted other rockets and an apparent drone that Hezbollah fired at troops in south Lebanon throughout the day, according to the military.

PM says he warned of drone problem six years ago, doesn’t say why it wasn’t fixed

On Friday, a Hezbollah drone strike killed an IDF officer in south Lebanon — the latest in a string of casualties caused by such attacks.

The military said it was installing several dozen soccer fields’ worth of mesh nets to protect troops from the drone threat, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying at a cabinet meeting on Sunday that the move was at his request.

Northern municipal leaders have accused the government of submitting to US demands for a ceasefire despite the continued threat from Hezbollah. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett — the main candidate to unseat Netanyahu in this year’s elections — said last month that the government’s failure to stem the drone attacks had turned troops in Lebanon into “sitting ducks.”

Mesh nets are seen deployed at a military position and a vehicle, to combat Hezbollah FPV drones, in a handout photo published by the IDF on May 14, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu sought to get ahead of the criticism.

“Six years ago, in a cabinet meeting, I warned about the threat of drones,” he claimed. “At the time, I first saw it as a serious threat as a tool for assassinating individuals, but since then, of course, it has evolved.”

Netanyahu, who was also prime minister six years ago, didn’t address why Israel hasn’t come up with a solution to the drone threat during his years in power.

He also claimed he grew still more cognizant of the drone threat after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 — despite the premier’s strained relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has said Israel ignored Kyiv’s offer to assist in drone defense during the war with Iran.

Ukraine’s experience in fending off Russia’s Iranian-designed drones — which are increasingly similar to the ones Hezbollah uses — has made Kyiv a world leader in tactical drone defense.

According to Netanyahu, the IDF and Defense Ministry “have done many things over the years… and they’ve thwarted many hundreds, if not thousands, of attempts to strike our forces using UAVs and drones.

“And they’re succeeding — every time there’s a new threat, they manage to thwart it,” he said.

Netanyahu added that in the last two weeks, he held three meetings with “the best minds in the country, and, in my opinion, the best minds in the world,” to confront Hezbollah’s drone threat. In one meeting, he said, he told the team that it has “no budget limit.”

“Whatever it costs, it costs,” said the premier, vowing to find a “comprehensive solution.”

“It requires patience and grit,” he said. “But we have plenty of both those things… We’ll achieve this, too.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.