{"id":465206,"date":"2026-05-28T23:43:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T23:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/465206\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T23:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T23:43:15","slug":"idf-targets-hezbollah-leadership-as-drone-war-intensifies-they-want-a-ceasefire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/465206\/","title":{"rendered":"IDF targets Hezbollah leadership as drone war intensifies: \u2018They want a ceasefire\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe are at war, we are not in a ceasefire.\u201d That is what security establishment sources told ynet on Thursday, amid anger in northern Israel following a series of drone attacks that also led to the death of Sergent Rotem Yanai. \u201cWe have been in this campaign for three months already and we are in a relatively significant and intense phase. We are on the defensive and within that framework we are carrying out major offensive actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"\u05e4\u05d2\u05d9\u05e2\u05ea<\/a>\"\u05e4\u05d2\u05d9\u05e2\u05eaIDF claims that since the start of the war, between 7,000 and 8,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed,<\/a> including nearly 2,500 militants since the launch of Operation “Roaring Lion.”<\/a> Since the \u201cceasefire,\u201d officials say about 800 additional Hezbollah militants have been killed and more than 10,000 wounded.<\/p>\n

The IDF also said it carries out more than 100 strikes daily, including north of the Litani River and in the areas of Tyre and Sidon. According to officials, \u201caround 20 to 30 militants are neutralized almost every day,\u201d including sector commanders and site commanders.<\/p>\n

The army confirmed on Thursday that seven \u201ckey\u201d operatives were killed over the past two weeks, including the commander of the Al-Khiyam area, the deputy assistant commander of the Badr unit, the intelligence officer of the Shaqif area, the engineering officer of the Yohmor municipality, the deputy engineering officer of Yohmor, and the commander of the Jibsheet village sector and engineering officer in the Jwaya sector.<\/p>\n

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Lebanon strikes<\/p>\n

(Photo: REUTERS\/Stringer)<\/p>\n

IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said after the death of Sergeant Rotem Yanai from a FPV drone strike:<\/a> \u201cWe are constantly dealing with the drone threat. The best minds in and outside the IDF are working on it. We are focusing on three main efforts: detection to provide early warning, interception, and protection of forces on the ground. As the Chief of Staff said yesterday, there are no limitations on force deployment or resources when it comes to the safety of our troops and citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Security officials now assess that Hezbollah has changed its operating pattern and fear a \u201cmerging\u201d of the Iranian arena with the war in Lebanon. \u201cWe see Hezbollah conducting stand-off combat and almost not engaging directly with IDF forces,\u201d officials said. \u201cIts ability to function as an organized system has been significantly damaged and the organization has been weakened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officials say Hezbollah is seeking to be included in a broader arrangement with Iran and is pushing toward a ceasefire, while Israel continues to apply pressure.<\/p>\n

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FPV drone <\/p>\n

(Photo: Efrem Lukatsky\/AP)<\/p>\n

According to the sources, the goal of the fighting is to establish an improved defensive line along the entire border to better protect Israeli communities from indirect fire, direct fire and infiltration attempts. \u201cThe aim is to create a buffer zone that serves as a security area for residents,\u201d they said, alongside heavy damage to Hezbollah and the elimination of as many operatives as possible. However, they acknowledged: \u201cThe objective, which is still far off, is to disarm Hezbollah.\u201d<\/p>\n

The security establishment also addressed ongoing diplomatic talks, saying \u201cit is not certain we will succeed, because not everything depends on us,\u201d referring to efforts to separate Hezbollah from Iran in negotiations between Tehran and Washington. At the same time, they said there are \u201cdirect talks between Israel and Lebanon, which are very significant and mediated by the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officials added that while it is unclear whether these talks will lead to concrete results on disarming Hezbollah, they are still important because they serve the goal of separating Hezbollah from Iran, something they say is concerning the group.<\/p>\n

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Improvised anti-drone nets<\/p>\n

The IDF described a wide deployment of forces along the border and deep inside Lebanese territory, including areas between villages in southern Lebanon. \u201cWithin this space we are conducting defensive and offensive operations,\u201d officials said. \u201cThe goal is to destroy enemy infrastructure to create a security zone free of enemy presence and civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the north, the IDF is carrying out ongoing efforts to \u201csanitize the area.\u201d Officials said there is still significant weapons stockpiling and \u201can enemy that is trapped.\u201d Almost daily raids are conducted beyond the \u201cyellow line\u201d to push the enemy back and strengthen defenses.<\/p>\n

Since the announcement of the ceasefire, six soldiers and one engineering vehicle operator have been killed by drone strikes and dozens have been wounded. \u201cThere is a real learning race between us and Hezbollah,\u201d officials admitted. \u201cWe are developing solutions and Hezbollah is learning. There is progress, but more is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The IDF is focusing on detection, warning, protection and interception, using radar and observation capabilities and now improved forward detection systems.<\/p>\n

On protection, officials said the main solution is nets. \u201cIt is simple but effective. Dozens of drones have been caught in nets.\u201d However, they acknowledged drawbacks: \u201cIt exposes positions because the enemy sees where we are and where we deploy nets, but we are fortifying them like strongholds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The IDF said troops in the Northern Command have been equipped with shotgun-style weapons, fragmentation rounds and close-range rifles, and that there have been dozens of successful drone takedowns.<\/p>\n

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Drone strike in the Shomera area<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are additional efforts, inventions and solutions related to drones and we have hope in them,\u201d one security official said. Hezbollah is reportedly launching drones from 10 to 15 kilometers away, but the IDF is also preparing for longer-range threats and night launches.<\/p>\n

Officials also said they are in contact with northern Israeli municipalities regarding civilian preparedness.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now they are mainly attacking bases and less often communities,\u201d officials said. \u201cWe tightened guidelines after seeing that friction is reaching civilians.\u201d They added that decisions are currently balanced between maintaining emergency readiness and avoiding full shutdowns. \u201cThese developments can create the right pressure. Everyone understands this cannot continue for months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding the Lebanese army, officials said there are areas of cooperation but emphasized: \u201cThere is still a very long way for them to disarm Hezbollah.\u201d One official added: \u201cI think the only one who can disarm Hezbollah is the IDF.\u201d At the same time, they noted: \u201cThings are happening in Lebanon against Hezbollah that have never happened before.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe are at war, we are not in a ceasefire.\u201d That is what security establishment sources told ynet…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465207,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-465206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}