As drone threat continues, IDF to start giving advance warning of Hezbollah rockets

The IDF Home Front Command will begin providing advanced warning for Hezbollah rocket and missile launches from Lebanon before red alert sirens are triggered, the military stated on Monday. 

The new warning system, which is similar to the advanced warning provided for ballistic missile launches from Iran or the Houthis in Yemen, is expected to be implemented in the coming days through the Home Front Command’s alert system and smartphone app.

The system will reportedly allow only a short preparation time, which will vary depending on the geographical location targeted.

In March, Home Front Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Shay Klepper established a team of experts to examine the feasibility of extending warning times for rocket fire from Lebanon or providing earlier alerts if launch activity is detected, similar to the Iranian missile warning system.

At the time, Klepper told leaders of Israel’s northern communities that the issue was significant.

"There are places where we are investigating, we have to examine ourselves and recalculate our course," he said. "If we can give more time, we will give more time. I have convened a team of experts to examine the issue and see how the warning time can be extended. Findings are expected in the coming days."

In April, the system provided early rocket fire warnings from Lebanon directed at the southern city of Ashdod. However, no advanced alerts were sent to residents of central Israel. The Home Front Command is reportedly working to improve the system to provide early warnings to those communities, as well as those on the northern border. 

Home Front Command confirmed an earlier report by Channel 12 News on the issue, saying it is working to update the system “to provide the public with additional preparation time wherever possible.” 

“Once the process is completed, the public will be updated through the official platforms of the Home Front Command and the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit,” the statement read. 

The IDF is still dealing with significant numbers of drone attacks on its soldiers working in southern Lebanon, many by hard-to-detect first-person view (FPV) drones that are being controlled via fiber optic cables.

On Monday morning, the IDF announced that another 19-year-old soldier who was injured in a drone attack on Sunday had succumbed to his wounds. Sgt. Nehoray Leizer, from Eilat, was hit by an explosive drone near the Christian village of Debel, close to Hezbollah's stronghold, Bint Jbeil. Another soldier was injured in the attack. 

Leizer is the 11th soldier to fall in battle since the start of the ostensible ceasefire in Lebanon, seven of whom were killed by FPV drones. In light of the continuous threat of fiber optic drones, which are immune to electronic jamming, the IDF has turned to more low-tech solutions to combat the weapons.

IDF representatives have even approached fishermen in the Sea of Galilee, asking to purchase fishing nets, which can be used to ensnare the small fiber optic drones used to target IDF soldiers, Kan News reported on Sunday. The move was a personal initiative of the fighters, Kan stated, and not an official move by the IDF or Defense Ministry. 

Yonatan Shalev, who is running in the upcoming elections with the Yachad party, headed by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, told Kan, “As someone who almost died a few days ago from an explosive drone hit the building where we were staying in Lebanon, I am ashamed to read such a publication, and I am forced to admit that it is true. It's a shame that no one here is learning from mistakes, and especially worried about what will happen in the next round in a few days.” 

Bennett released a video on his social media account, in which he speaks with a reserve soldier who is collecting soccer nets for use by soldiers to help protect the areas where they are operating in southern Lebanon. 

אלף ימים אחרי השבעה באוקטובר, ובמקום שהממשלה תפתור את מחדל רחפני הנפץ, שוב האזרחים הם אלה שמגלים יוזמה ומצילים חיים.
בקרוב נתקן גם את זה>> pic.twitter.com/ute3ghHoPY

— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) May 24, 2026

“A thousand days after October 7th, and instead of the government resolving the explosive drone fiasco, once again it's the citizens who take the initiative and save lives,” Bennett wrote. 

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “the establishment of a special project to thwart the drone threat,” which had already claimed the lives of several IDF soldiers. 

The military has begun issuing several anti-drone tools to help counter the threat, including special “Smart Shooter” rounds and the automatic “Dagger” rifle sight, which only fires a bullet when the barrel is aimed right at the target.