Hezbollah Drone Video Shows How Close Israeli Troops Came to Being Hit

Exclusive GoPro footage shows an Israeli unit in southern Lebanon under immediate threat from a Hezbollah explosive drone. The soldiers can be heard warning each other to stay alert and identify a UAV as another drone approaches. Seconds later, a blast occurs near the place where one soldier had been running, underscoring how quickly these attacks can strike forces in the field.

The report says Hezbollah’s explosive drones have caused most of the Israeli soldiers killed since the ceasefire in Lebanon began in April. The article says Staff Sgt. Adam Tzarfati was killed this morning in a drone strike during operations in southern Lebanon, and three other soldiers were wounded. It also says Staff Sgt. Michael Tyukin was killed yesterday in an explosive drone attack during the capture of the Beaufort outpost, bringing the total number of dead since the ceasefire to 13.

The same attack pattern is illustrated by the testimony of Yakir Parti, who was wounded in the drone strike in Shomera in which Sgt. Rotem Yanai was killed. Speaking from his hospital bed for the first time, Parti said he and his emergency response unit partner, Tamir Malkov, were first dispatched to a fire near Even Menachem, then sent to another fire at a military base near Shomera. While waiting to enter, they became involved in the drone incident already unfolding inside the base.

Parti said that about two minutes after entering, Malkov spotted the drone approaching from the left. “I told him to step on it and we tried to escape,” he said. He added that within seconds the drone locked on, chased them, and exploded behind them. Parti said this was his first direct exposure to such an attack and warned, “Once they identify a target and lock on, there’s nothing you can do.” He said the explosive charge is small but still dangerous, and that they were “very lucky to get out alive.”