As Hezbollah attempts to rebuild, Lebanese terror group focuses on local drone production rather than rockets, missiles

The few short but devastating months of war against Israel left Hezbollah teetering on the brink of total defeat, and the Lebanese terror group has struggled to rebuild its organizational hierarchies and, most importantly, its military arsenal.

Despite the ceasefire terms stipulating that Hezbollah must withdraw its forces from south of the Litani River, Israel in recent months has struck dozens of operatives and terror sites there.

However, the most recent alleged Israeli strike hit a vehicle in the town of Numairiyeh on Monday, reportedly killing one person – and showed that the terror group intends to rebuild its capabilities throughout the country, as its weakness has enabled the state to pursue the disarmament of the once undisputed master of the country.

According to a report by Ynet News, the terror group has focused on one particular kind of weapon to quickly and cheaply replenish its arms: the drone.

Faced with difficulties during attempts to smuggle rockets and missiles, which were the group’s preferred strategic weapons, Hezbollah apparently decided to focus its energies on building up its local production facilities.

In addition to Israel, Hezbollah’s smuggling has also been hampered by the new Syrian regime, as well as the Lebanese state. Israel has resumed its aggressive policy of bombing arms shipments wherever it can find them.

On June 7, 2025, Syrian security forces captured a weapons smuggling cell in the Syrian town of Talkalakh, located near the border between Syria and northern Lebanon. The capture of the smuggling cell thwarted an attempt to smuggle 200 Iranian-made 107mm rockets intended for… pic.twitter.com/aNgT8CAAfR

— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) June 9, 2025

Meanwhile, the Syrian government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who fought Hezbollah for a decade during the Syrian Civil War, has attempted to extend full security control over the mountainous border regions, which had been used for smuggling.

According to the Israeli research center Alma, the approximately 400 kilometer (about 250 miles) long border between Lebanon and Syria contains over 130 smuggling routes.

Last weekend, Syrian media reported that local security forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle 200 Iranian-made 107mm rockets and captured the smugglers near the town of Talkalakh.

Smuggling and attempted weapons smuggling by land from #Syria to #Lebanon, primarily through the northeastern Bekaa, continue. In the image, a vegetable truck (cucumbers) was used to smuggle grenades, ammunition, and Kornet anti-tank missiles. The truck was intercepted by Syrian… pic.twitter.com/kUdihm1bRV

— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) June 5, 2025

Also last week, Syrian security forces intercepted a shipment, hidden under vegetables, of grenades, ammunition, and Kornet anti-tank missiles near al-Qusayr .

Hezbollah has therefore invested funds in producing explosive and reconnaissance drones locally, a development that is concerning the Israeli Air Force.

Contrary to rockets and missiles, drones can be produced cheaply with civilian components available online, are hard to identify and intercept, and can be launched from hidden locations, all while delivering a dangerous payload.

According to Ynet, Air Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar is holding frequent discussions about Hezbollah’s drone unit to prevent it from re-emerging in full strength.

Hezbollah terrorists buried UAV production sites in the heart of a civilian neighborhood in the Dahieh in Beirut, thinking they could hide it and break the rules unnoticed.

Spoiler: We found them.
And soon, they won’t be there anymore. pic.twitter.com/oGIfOMVoST

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 5, 2025

Therefore, last Thursday large-scale waves of airstrikes aimed to cripple five drone production sites in Beirut and Ain Kanah, in an operation that had been several months in the making.

Ynet News reported that hundreds of drones were destroyed in the strikes.

“We destroyed about 70% of Hezbollah's drones in a series of strikes then, and we knew that after the ceasefire, we would continue to act against the organization's buildup – which is prohibited under the terms of the agreement,” the Air Force officer who leads the effort against Hezbollah’s secretive drone Unit 127 told Ynet.

“We eliminated the commander of Unit 127 and senior members, and in Thursday’s strikes, we precisely hit those underground workshops and storage facilities without collapsing adjacent buildings. We have found more such storage facilities and sites – and we will strike them as well,” he vowed.