An Israeli soldier was killed, and others were wounded in southern Lebanon in a Hezbollah explosive drone attack announced by the Israeli military on Monday, amid growing concern over the group's advanced drone warfare tactics .
The Israeli military said reservist Alexander Glovanyov, 47, was killed in the drone attack, while Israeli media reported that rescue helicopters were dispatched to evacuate wounded soldiers after one helicopter reportedly suffered a malfunction.
The attack came amid continued Israeli strikes and fighting in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect in mid-April, with Hezbollah saying its attacks were in response to Israeli violations.
Israeli Channel 12 quoted a senior military official as saying that "Israel has returned to the reality of equations with Hezbollah", acknowledging that Israeli troops are facing near-daily attacks from explosive drones launched by the Lebanese group .
The official said Hezbollah's current focus remains on targeting Israeli soldiers rather than civilians, but warned the group retains the ability to strike deeper into northern Israel despite Israeli military operations inside Lebanese territory.
The comments reflect growing alarm within Israel over Hezbollah's expanding use of first-person-view (FPV) drones, particularly fibre-optic guided drones that are resistant to electronic jamming and difficult to intercept.
Israeli media reports in recent weeks have increasingly highlighted a widening gap between Israel's advanced military technology and its ability to deploy effective countermeasures on the battlefield rapidly.
An analysis published last week by The New Arab said Israeli security and military institutions were facing a "structural and operational failure" in confronting Hezbollah's drone warfare tactics.
The report argued that Hezbollah has successfully adapted lessons from the war in Ukraine, relying on low-cost but highly effective drone systems capable of overwhelming expensive Israeli defence systems.
It also said Israeli officials increasingly fear the emergence of coordinated drone swarm attacks and drones operating through cellular networks, which could further complicate interception efforts.
A Ynet report on Monday also said the military had fears that the Palestinian group Hamas could adopt similar tactics in Gaza .
The outlet cited Israeli officials warning that Hamas was studying Hezbollah's explosive drone operations in southern Lebanon as it attempts to rebuild its military capabilities.
A senior Israeli military official quoted by the report said Hamas was likely seeking to develop similar drone capabilities after observing Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli forces both occupying Lebanon and in northern Israel. However, he claimed such capabilities had not yet been identified in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , who the International Criminal Court wants over alleged war crimes in Gaza, signalled that Israel could continue its assault on Lebanon even if fighting with Iran subsides.
In an interview with CBS aired on Sunday, Netanyahu rejected linking any ceasefire with Iran to ending hostilities with Hezbollah.
"If Iran is indeed weakened or possibly toppled, I think it's the end of Hezbollah," Netanyahu said, while indicating Israel may continue military operations in Lebanon regardless of developments with Tehran.
His comments came despite reports that Iran had conditioned any broader ceasefire agreement with Washington on ending the war across all fronts, including Lebanon.
According to Israeli military figures cited by US media, at least 18 Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon since Hezbollah escalated attacks in support of Iran during the war with the United States and Israel. Lebanon's health ministry says more than 2,700 people have been killed and over 8,400 wounded in Lebanon during the same period, including children, journalists and paramedics.