Hezbollah has been allocating increased resources towards bolstering its UAS unit, Yedioth Ahronoth reported last week.
The Shiite terror groups reportedly plans to use its unmanned aircraft to attack Israel in case it mounts a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Hezbollah is equipped with Ababil (“Swallow”) UAS, which are manufactured and provided by Iran. The Ababil has several models, including one that can carry a warhead packed with several dozens of kilograms of explosives.
Defence establishment officials expressed concern that Hezbollah would be able to send multiple UAS into Israel’s airspace and have them crash into targets in the country’s north. “Hezbollah is making a specific effort to acquire such (weapons) as part of its offensive line-up against Israel,” a security source told Yedioth Ahronoth.
“As far as they are concerned, it’s a sure thing: The Ababil is a relatively cheap weapon, which the Iranians give them for free, anyway. It takes a short time to master and its loss doesn’t not involve sacrificing human lives. Another advantage for them is that it’s a very small aircraft that’s hard to detect and shoot down.”
The first Ababil UAS were given to Hezbollah in 2002. The Shiite group had previously launched several of them into Israeli airspace, mostly as a power play. Hezbollah attempted to use the unmanned aircraft during the Second Lebanon War, sending two UAS, carrying 40-50kg of explosives each into Israeli airspace. The aircraft were spotted by IAF radar and F-16 jets were scrambled to intercept them. One was shot down and the other crashed, causing no harm.
IDF sources said that the Air Force’s anti-missile line-up has been adapting its defensive doctrines to the increasing threat.
Source: Y Net