Hezbollah's drones continue to be a deadly menace to occupying Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, as the Iran-backed group uses guerrilla warfare synonymous with its founding years in the 1980s.
Drones are partly responsible for a slowdown in fighting along the frontline – with one major exception in the Hadatha area. Israeli air strikes continued across southern Lebanon on Thursday, including an attack on the sole functioning hospital in the area in Tebnine.
Hezbollah video appears to show a drawdown of troops at the Israeli base established in southern Lebanon after the 2024 war in the Jabal Blat area. Israeli media has reported soldiers moving in smaller units to guard against the drone threat.
It also said Col Meir Biderman, commander of Israel's 401st Armoured Brigade, was seriously injured on Wednesday when an explosive drone struck his position in southern Lebanon and fractured his skull. He is the most senior Israeli soldier injured in southern Lebanon during the war.
He was believed to have been inside a house in the south Lebanese border village of Debel when the drone hit the building.
The 401st Armoured is suspected of involvement in the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
These apparent battlefield successes by Hezbollah must be seen alongside the extensive losses it has also sustained alongside Israel's occupation and destruction up to 10km into Lebanon.
Hezbollah regularly releases fibreoptic drones, sending Israeli soldiers running for cover before they hit. The fibreoptic drones can evade traditional electronic countermeasures.
Much of Hezbollah's aerial fire now comes from drone attacks on Israeli military positions inside Lebanon, as well as northern Israel. Until recently, it was regularly launching missiles at central Israel and sending people in Tel Aviv and Haifa running for shelters.
A Hezbollah official previously described the first-person drones as its new martyrdom squads, which refers to the human suicide bombers used by Hezbollah from the 1980s.
Hezbollah's ground fighters continue regular skirmishes with Israeli forces, too, despite being significantly outgunned.
Much of the fighting this week has focused on Hadatha.
Hezbollah continues to talk of “heroic confrontations” there, which is outside the Israeli occupation zone.
While the Hezbollah's formerly vast missile stockpile has been depleted in the past two years, it is still able to launch attacks on Israel and prevent its northern residents from returning to their homes.
In a letter sent Thursday to foreign embassies in Lebanon Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc said it had “no choice” than “to resort to the human right to self-defence”, in the face of Israeli bombing and occupation of the south.
