The IDF assesses that despite intelligence efforts, Hezbollah's explosive-drone network continues to pose a significant threat, with the network's bottleneck lying in only about 100 skilled operators.
According to a report on Galei Tzahal, the vast majority of the operators were trained during the previous ceasefire (November 2024 - March 2026), and almost all currently operate south of the Litani River.
The report noted that Hezbollah began an accelerated force-building process in the drone field as early as the end of the Operation Northern Arrows. Unlike the loitering munitions operated by Unit 127, the drone operators are dispersed among different geographic units and within the Radwan unit, a fact that makes it difficult for the IDF to locate and strike them in a concentrated manner.
So far, the IDF has succeeded in eliminating a very small number of operators-only between 5 and 10. A senior officer emphasized that operational focus has now shifted toward those militants with complex technical training to operate fiber-optic-based drones.
Most operators operate outside the "yellow line", as the fiber optic allows a range of 10-15 km. However, the IDF does not rule out that Hezbollah may have managed to penetrate deep into the security strip to launch drones toward targets deep within Israeli territory.
Meanwhile, the IDF officially confirmed that it is investigating the drone strike on an Iron Dome battery, the footage of which was circulated yesterday by Hezbollah.
Military sources confirmed that a hit did occur, but clarified that it did not create an "operational gap" in the Northern Command's air defenses.