Hezbollah’s Lebanese Division 127, which is its air force, attacks Israeli civilians and military targets. (IMAGE: AFP)
Hezbollah’s Unit 127 air power comes from Iranian UAVs and training received from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Hezbollah has focused on building its aerial capabilities, mainly through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), over the past few years and has used them in its attacks on northern Israel, which began shortly after the October 7 attacks. The Lebanese armed group has carried out precision strikes on Israeli buildings, while making detection and interception of its drones more challenging for the Israeli military and its vaunted defense systems.
Hezbollah’s aerial capabilities have shown their effectiveness on several occasions, most recently with the launch of a drone at the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday.
“A UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was fired at the Prime Minister’s residence in Caesarea. The prime minister and his wife were not at the scene and no one was injured in the incident,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Last week’s attack on a Golani brigade training base that killed four soldiers and wounded dozens was also carried out by drone.
The operatives handling these UAVs are part of Unit 127, which falls under Hezbollah’s air division.
Squad 127, equipped with various types of drones based on Iranian technology, advanced its operations as Hezbollah fought alongside the Syrian army, Iran and Russia against rebels and jihadist fighters in Syria. Its operatives are spread across Lebanon and have received additional training from Iran’s Quds Force to strengthen their capabilities, according to a report by Jerusalem Post.
Last week, during the attack on the Golani Bridge training base, his drone delivered a precision strike on a dining hall.
“The Shahed 107 UAV is very easy to operate, and its design and materials make it difficult to detect, track and intercept, especially due to its ability to fly at low altitude,” said an official of Jerusalem Post. The Shaheds are Iranian-made drones. In recent years, Unit 127 has expanded its storage sites, launchers and runways for large drones beyond Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to other locations, Israeli media said.
He also said that Hezbollah’s UAVs are either optically guided (image seeking) or GPS guided. They also use remotely piloted UAVs or steer these UAVs along pre-programmed flight paths. Warhead size varies depending on drone size and flight range. Hezbollah has drones that can hit targets with an accuracy of several tens of meters.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has developed several methods to detect, track and intercept these UAVs. Hezbollah often tries to evade both the IAF and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) by launching multiple drones simultaneously or coordinating them with missile launches to distract and silence detection systems.
However, Israel inflicted heavy damage on the armed group’s leadership and infrastructure.
Israel is waging a war against Hamas’ ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Israel sending ground troops across the Lebanese border last month.
On Friday, the Israeli military said it had destroyed Hezbollah’s regional command center in an airstrike.
, over the past few years and has used it in its attacks on northern Israel which began shortly after October 7 attacks. The Lebanese militant group has launched precise strikes on Israeli buildings while making the detection and interception of its drones more challenging for the Israeli military and its acclaimed defence systems.){kind=link}