Hezbollah Unveils Stealth Drone Amid Escalating Retaliatory Strikes
Recently, Hezbollah has mobilized a fresh "hard" unit as part of its strategic operations. The deployment represents an escalation in the group's military capabilities and reflects ongoing tensions in the region. Regional observers are closely monitoring the situation as it develops.
Hezbollah has executed numerous retaliatory operations targeting Israel’s military positions and unauthorized settlements in the northern region of the occupied territories within a 24-hour period.
The Lebanese resistance movement has announced it conducted attacks on Monday, citing “ceasefire violations and repeated assaults” on southern Lebanese towns and cities, specifically targeting Tyre and Nabatieh.
According to reports from Lebanon’s al-Ahed network, the military operations comprised a combination of missile strikes, artillery bombardments, and the deployment of attack drones.
The Hezbollah group in Lebanon unveiled a new “hard-to-detect” drone for the first time on Monday, reportedly sending at least 40 drones toward northern Israel, as reported by Israeli media sources.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, a drone featuring an optical guidance system designed to withstand electronic warfare has crashed in the settlement of Kiryat Shmona.
KAN has reported that only a limited number of drones were intercepted, while the majority successfully hit their targets, resulting in significant damage.
The newly unveiled drone, reportedly among Hezbollah’s most sophisticated aerial systems, possesses the ability to evade detection while maneuvering within buildings. Capable of carrying up to 5 kilograms of explosives, the drone boasts a travel range of several dozen kilometers, according to sources from a broadcaster.
According to the report, the initial wave of strikes commenced in the early hours of Monday with rockets directed at the settlement of Kiryat Shmona and the town of Dovev. As the morning unfolded, drone assaults further targeted the town of Metula and a congregation of Israeli forces in Shlomi.
Hezbollah announced an intensification of its offensive operations by midday, launching a focused aerial attack utilizing explosive-laden drones. The operation targeted military barracks and troops’ sleeping quarters across multiple sites, including Yiftah, Beit Hillel, Kiryat Shmona, and Margaliot.
Reports indicate that additional strikes targeted troop gatherings and military facilities. The assaults reportedly included positions in Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi, as well as barracks in Avivim and Liman, and the Amiad base situated to the north of Tiberias.
In the afternoon hours, there was a series of rocket attacks targeting multiple locations, including Kiryat Shmona, Metula, Dovev, Shlomi, Nahariya, Hanita, and Malkia.
The report detailed ongoing assaults targeting clusters of vehicles and military personnel in regions including Ain Ebel, Bayada, Bint Jbeil, and Rashaf in southern Lebanon, employing missiles and artillery in the attacks.
On Monday, Hezbollah announced an escalation in their operations, targeting “sensitive bases” on the northern part of the occupied territories. The assaults included the paratrooper brigade’s training facility in Karmiel, the Golani Division headquarters in Shraga north of Acre, and the Tefen base located east of Acre. The group stated that these attacks were carried out using drones and “special missiles.”
Reports indicate that underground structures in Ma’alot-Tarshiha and Yesud HaMa’ala have been destroyed following a coordinated assault involving both missile strikes and drone deployments.
A recent report indicates that military operations persisted into the night, as strikes were launched against troop concentrations in Malkia, Bayada, and Rashaf utilizing drones, artillery, and rockets.
Hezbollah has stated that their attacks will persist “until the complete halt of American-Israeli aggression against Lebanon.”
Following successive days of Israeli strikes on multiple locations across Lebanon, the assaults have persisted despite ongoing breaches of a 2024 ceasefire agreement. The attacks have resulted in the deaths of hundreds, including numerous women and children.
In response to the recent massacres, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem asserted that the violence was intended to “conceal” the ongoing failures encountered by the regime against the resistance.
Sheikh Qassem affirmed the continuation of the resistance movement “until the very last breath,” emphasizing that the sacrifices endured thus far would “only strengthen our resolve to liberate our land and safeguard our dignity.”
