Netanyahu says project to counter drone threat underway, but ‘will take time’

Hezbollah’s first-person view drones killed a soldier in south Lebanon last week and have caused dozens of injuries

Amid a spike in Hezbollah drone strikes against Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he has initiated a counter-drone project.

“A few weeks ago, I ordered the establishment of a special project to counter the drone threat,” he said in a video statement, “and already today I will be presented with a progress report on the matter.”

“It will take time — but we are on it,” he insisted.

First-person view (FPV) drones in Lebanon have been an increasingly prominent weapon in Hezbollah’s arsenal during the current fighting, and have proven difficult to intercept.

In recent weeks, Hezbollah has released multiple videos showing small FPV drones homing in on Israeli tanks and vehicles across southern Lebanon. Some of these relatively cheap drones are guided by fiber optic cables, making them effectively immune to electronic jamming.

Last week, one such drone piloted by Hezbollah operatives slammed into Israeli soldiers repairing their tank in southern Lebanon, killing Sgt. Idan Fooks and wounding six others, four of them seriously.

Other attacks using FPV drones have caused dozens of injuries.

Hezbollah had already deployed FPV drones against Israeli targets during fighting in 2024, albeit on a more limited scale. Such drones have become a defining feature of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Israel is adopting the same technology. Last year, the Defense Ministry ordered some 5,000 FPV drones from Israeli firm XTEND for use by IDF Ground Forces. During the current fighting, the military published footage showing an FPV drone strike on a Hezbollah operative.

Israel carried out massive airstrikes and pushed troops farther into Lebanon after Hezbollah, on March 2, launched its rocket attacks on Israel in support of its patron, Iran.

The terror group has said its renewed attacks on Israel were in response both to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran on February 28, and to Israel’s continued attacks and presence in Lebanon since a 2024 ceasefire deal — which Israel said came in response to ongoing Hezbollah violations.

Seventeen IDF soldiers and one Defense Ministry civilian contractor have been killed in southern Lebanon amid the fighting against Hezbollah. Two civilians were also killed by Hezbollah rockets, and an Israeli civilian was mistakenly killed in the north by Israeli artillery shelling.

Over 2,500 people have been killed and about a million displaced in Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities. The IDF says it has killed over 1,900 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force.

Netanyahu also said on Sunday that future defense procurement will focus on expanding Israel’s capabilities and its independence.

“We are acquiring two squadrons of advanced aircraft, F-35 and F-15IA,” he said. “These aircraft reinforce Israel’s overwhelming air superiority, a superiority that was proven in Operation Rising Lion and now in Operation Roaring Lion.”

“Our pilots can reach anywhere in the skies of Iran, and they are prepared to do so — if required,” he said.

“Regarding independence,” Netanyahu continued, “I have instructed investment in domestic production capabilities for munitions.”

Israel will add NIS 350 billion ($118 billion) to the defense budget over the next decade to produce munitions domestically, he said.

Netanyahu added that Israel will also develop “groundbreaking aircraft made in Israel” that “will change the entire picture.” He did not indicate whether he was referring to drones or manned aircraft.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.