Lebanese state media reported several strikes in the country\u2019s south, including before the warning was issued.<\/p>\n
\t Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the broader regional war on March 2. US-brokered Israeli-Lebanese talks \u2014 the neighboring enemy states\u2019 highest-level contact in decades \u2014 having failed to bring the conflict to a close, with Lebanon demanding an Israeli withdrawal and Israel demanding that Hezbollah be disarmed. The Iran-backed terror group itself rejects direct talks with Israel and says its arms are not up for discussion.<\/p>\n Hezbollah on Sunday fired several missiles and drones at IDF troops in southern Lebanon and at Israeli communities on the Lebanese border, without any injuries, according to the military.<\/p>\n In Israel, apparent Hezbollah drones triggered sirens in the border communities of Manara and Margaliot on Sunday morning, and in several communities in the western Galilee in the afternoon.<\/p>\n The military also said several rockets and drones struck near troops in southern Lebanon overnight and in the morning, with one drone triggering sirens in the border community of Misgav Am.<\/p>\n Air defenses intercepted other rockets and an apparent drone that Hezbollah fired at troops in south Lebanon throughout the day, according to the military.<\/p>\n PM says he warned of drone problem six years ago, doesn\u2019t say why it wasn\u2019t fixed<\/p>\n On Friday, a Hezbollah drone strike killed an IDF officer in south Lebanon \u2014 the latest in a string of casualties caused by such attacks.<\/p>\n The military said it was installing several dozen soccer fields\u2019 worth of mesh nets to protect troops from the drone threat, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying at a cabinet meeting on Sunday that the move was at his request.<\/p>\n Northern municipal leaders have accused<\/a> the government of submitting to US demands for a ceasefire despite the continued threat from Hezbollah. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett \u2014 the main candidate to unseat Netanyahu in this year\u2019s elections \u2014 said<\/a> last month that the government\u2019s failure to stem the drone attacks had turned troops in Lebanon into \u201csitting ducks.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu sought to get ahead of the criticism.<\/p>\n \u201cSix years ago, in a cabinet meeting, I warned about the threat of drones,\u201d he claimed. \u201cAt the time, I first saw it as a serious threat as a tool for assassinating individuals, but since then, of course, it has evolved.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu, who was also prime minister six years ago, didn\u2019t address why Israel hasn\u2019t come up with a solution to the drone threat during his years in power.<\/p>\n He also claimed he grew still more cognizant of the drone threat after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 \u2014 despite the premier\u2019s strained relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has said<\/a> Israel ignored Kyiv\u2019s offer to assist in drone defense during the war with Iran.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s experience in fending off Russia\u2019s Iranian-designed drones \u2014 which are increasingly similar<\/a> to the ones Hezbollah uses \u2014 has made Kyiv a world leader in tactical drone defense.<\/p>\n \t According to Netanyahu, the IDF and Defense Ministry \u201chave done many things over the years\u2026 and they\u2019ve thwarted many hundreds, if not thousands, of attempts to strike our forces using UAVs and drones.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they\u2019re succeeding \u2014 every time there\u2019s a new threat, they manage to thwart it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Netanyahu added that in the last two weeks, he held three meetings with \u201cthe best minds in the country, and, in my opinion, the best minds in the world,\u201d to confront Hezbollah\u2019s drone threat. In one meeting, he said, he told the team that it has \u201cno budget limit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever it costs, it costs,\u201d said the premier, vowing to find a \u201ccomprehensive solution.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt requires patience and grit,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we have plenty of both those things\u2026 We\u2019ll achieve this, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tIDF troops operate at the Litani River in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo published by the military on May 12, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/netting-e1778776029145-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a> Mesh nets are seen deployed at a military position and a vehicle, to combat Hezbollah FPV drones, in a handout photo published by the IDF on May 14, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/99988-640x400.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the weekly cabinet meeting on May 17, 2026 (Screenshot\/GPO)<\/p>\n
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