Hezbollah Likely Employing FPV Drones Against IDF

Video footage emerged Tuesday that appears to show Hezbollah attacking two Israeli Namer armored personnel carriers and a military truck with first-person view (FPV) drones. These attacks follow Hezbollah propaganda footage released March 26 which depicts an earlier FPV attack against an Israeli Merkava tank. These attacks appear to be some of the terror group’s first uses of FPVs in the current conflict.

This growing threat comes as the IDF confirmed on Tuesday that four Israeli divisions are operating in south Lebanon. The campaign, which began on March 2, is intended to “prevent Hezbollah infiltrations or attacks on civilian communities in northern Israel,” according to the IDF. 

The Looming FPV Threat

While these attacks appear to be some of the first in the current conflict, Hezbollah displayed footage of FPVs at least as far back as 2024. FPVs are small and inexpensive quadcopters capable of carrying lethal payloads, including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and can be quite difficult to intercept. FPVs also allow operators to conduct surveillance prior to and during an attack, allowing a single platform to rapidly identify and strike targets.

As the footage Hezbollah recently released ends just prior to each impact, it does not reveal the extent of the damage caused, and the IDF has not directly acknowledged the incidents. However, the IDF’s operational updates for March 26 include a reference to several soldiers of the 7th Brigade sustaining injuries, one of whom was killed. It is not clear whether these casualties were the result of a Hezbollah FPV attack, but their unit is an armored brigade known to operate Israel’s Merkava 4 tank. The IDF also did not directly acknowledge the Tuesday footage either, though the IDF did confirm three soldiers injured by a Hezbollah drone the day prior.

Millions of FPV drones have been used by Ukraine and Russia. In Ukraine, drones of various types are reportedly responsible for between 70 and 80 percent of those injured or killed. Battlefield experience there has shown that FPVs threaten more than ground vehicles and troops. Ukraine recently downed a Ka-52 attack helicopter behind Russian lines with an FPV drone. Hezbollah may attempt a similar tactic against Israeli helicopters, which the IDF has been using to intercept the group’s drones.

Hezbollah Enters the Fray

In an effort to support Iran, Hezbollah began attacking Israel on March 2. It had largely refrained from doing so since the November 2024 ceasefire. Hezbollah has maintained an average of 100 daily launches of rockets, missiles, and drones, peaking at over 600, according to the IDF. The Israeli military said on March 31 that it struck over 2,500 Hezbollah targets, including 180 launchers.

Hezbollah’s use of FPVs against Israeli forces should not be a surprise given that other Iranian proxies have used FPVs to conduct reconnaissance and attack U.S. diplomatic and military facilities in Baghdad in the past month. 

Use All Available Countermeasures

While FPVs are a reconnaissance and strike threat, Israeli vehicles are not without countermeasures. The Trophy Active Protection System (APS) is mounted on the outside of some vehicles. It detects incoming projectiles such as anti-tank missiles, RPGs, and drones, and then launches its own kinetic countermeasures to intercept the target. Some of Hezbollah’s propaganda videos even appear to show Trophy’s use, and previous footage from operations in Gaza against Hamas also demonstrated the system’s effectiveness.

While the use of APS is one strategy to combat FPVs, Israel should work with Ukraine to share important lessons and adopt additional countermeasures. For example, Ukraine has reportedly used mobile radars to detect Russian FPVs and then intercept them with Ukrainian drones. Ukraine has sent advisors to Gulf states contending with Iranian Shahed-136 drones, demonstrating that Ukraine is willing to share its hard-won expertise. The United States can help facilitate coordination between Ukraine and Israel and, as recent FPV attacks in Iraq underscore, should seek to learn from both of its partners.

Justin Leopold-Cohen is a senior research analyst with the Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Ryan Brobst is the deputy director of CMPP. For more analysis from Justin, Ryan, and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on X @FDD. Follow Justin on X at @jleopoldcohen, and Ryan @RyanBrobst_. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.