Alongside ground fighting in southern Lebanon, troops face a tactical challenge the IDF has yet to fully solve: the threat of explosive drones. On Sunday, in the midst of the ceasefire, tank soldier Sgt. Idan Fooks was killed in a deadly explosive drone attack near the village of Taybeh in southern Lebanon.
Six others were wounded, including an officer and three soldiers in serious condition. Dramatic footage showed the moment a drone exploded near the helicopter evacuating the wounded.
A drone exploding near the troops during the evacuation
After Fooks and the six soldiers were wounded by the drone strike, two more explosive drones were launched at forces in the Taybeh area. One was intercepted, while the other exploded a few meters from the helicopter as it evacuated the wounded. Troops fired heavily at the drones in an effort to bring them down before one could hit the helicopter. Afterward, the IDF began striking Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon with artillery and from the air.
Hezbollah launches explosive drones from long distances, from areas where IDF forces are not present. The drones carry fiber-optic cables, which prevent electronic jamming and make detection and interception extremely difficult. They may not carry huge explosive charges, but they have become a significant and threatening nuisance.
The IDF has previously struck such explosives labs, where terrorists assembled the explosive material on drones together with additional equipment and, of course, a camera. Electronic warfare forces in the field are trying to deal with the threat, and Hezbollah also launches drones at them.
Fooks’ uncle said Idan’s girlfriend, who serves as a surveillance soldier, saw the entire incident on her screens.
“She saw the incident as an observation soldier, saw the wounded and asked if Idan was there. They told her he wasn’t, but she had a feeling he was. In retrospect, it turned out she saw her boyfriend, whom she loved so much and who loved her, killed in Lebanon. She is in shock, like all of us.”
The ceasefire was declared April 16, and already in its first days two soldiers were killed by explosive devices that had apparently been planted before it took effect. After several days of quiet, rocket and UAV launches at communities resumed, and only intensified despite U.S. President Donald Trump announcing an extension of the ceasefire by three weeks overnight Thursday into Friday.
Following additional launches, the explosive drone attack and the death of Fooks — the first soldier killed in combat since the ceasefire — new restrictions were imposed. The Home Front Command ruled that in communities along the confrontation line, as well as in Meron, Bar Yochai, Or HaGanuz and Safsufa, gatherings would be limited to 1,500 people at least until Monday evening. At the same time, the narrow security Cabinet discussed the possibility of holding the Meron celebration, scheduled for May 5. For now, no decisions have been made.
The IDF is now continuing to clear the security zone up to the yellow line, blowing up buildings, terror infrastructure and killing terrorists. So far, the IDF has killed about 50 terrorists — in effect without striking deep inside Lebanon and without targeted killings of senior Hezbollah figures. The question is whether the change in instructions indicates that this may now change.