IDF drone units in northern Israel and southern Lebanon say unmanned aircraft have evolved from distant intelligence tools into a core part of combat power. In an interview published by N12 magazine on June 18, 2026 and updated on June 20, officers described a rapid technological race with Hezbollah, whose explosive drones remain a major threat to soldiers and, earlier in the conflict, civilians.
Sh., head of the attack exposure branch at the IDF Infantry School, recalled a recent incident in Lebanon in which instructors spotted Hezbollah explosive drones prepared for launch. Within minutes, Israeli drones took off, destroyed them, then identified the launch site and struck the house from which they had been sent. “In the field, they are your eyes, for defense and offense,” he said.
R., a company commander in Unit 869, the combat intelligence unit responsible for the Galilee Division’s sector, said the battlefield has changed because soldiers no longer face blind areas ahead of them. He said that during Operation Protective Edge there was no such visibility, but now troops can see the full area in advance and build a clearer situational picture from a distance. R. also commands the first drone team in his battalion and said his unit has already helped collect intelligence during the current maneuver in southern Lebanon, as part of Operation Northern Arrows, which began in September 2024.
The officers said drone training now lasts four intensive weeks and ends with live and dry final exercises. Across the infantry, every company now has an attacking drone and an intelligence-gathering drone, and commanders have dedicated drones that can enter buildings and scan them before troops go inside. They also said loitering munitions can lock onto a target autonomously, giving soldiers confidence, and that some units are already trained to drop grenades or mortar bombs with precision.
R. said Hezbollah is trying to improve its drone attacks, usually in two stages, first striking soldiers and then targeting the rescue force. He said the IDF has countermeasures including protective nets and interception tools, and that additional units were certified in recent weeks on drone detection and identification. Both officers stressed that the human instructors, many of them deployed nationwide, are what turn the technology into operational capability. “We do not stop working deep in enemy territory,” R. said.
