A video emerged Wednesday on social media showing an Israeli vehicle festooned with the netting, draped like a soccer goal from metal arms extending out and above. The idea, as we have reported in the past<\/a>, is that drones will get caught up in the nylon or mesh metal nets and become disabled, or the nets will help keep the drones far enough from the occupants before exploding to keep them from being killed. The latter is a far more limited scenario and depends on the vehicle type and the warhead on the drone. Based on the video we are seeing, the level of protection netting can provide passengers in the open-top Israeli vehicle if a trapped drone\u2019s warhead were to detonate is likely very little.<\/p>\n Israeli Defense Forces testing a folded anti-drone net installed on a Humvee.<\/p>\n The video emerged amid a surge of Hezbollah strikes with FPV drones against the IDF in Lebanon. pic.twitter.com\/PwIyuJQVs4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) April 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The video began to circulate amid growing controversy in Israel over what is perceived as the IDF\u2019s inability to counter the Hezbollah FPV drone threat. The frustration reached a new level over the weekend, after an Israeli soldier was killed<\/a> and six were wounded by a Hezbollah drone. A followup attack was launched while the IDF was medevacing the wounded, narrowly missing the helicopter.<\/p>\n You can see the drone narrowly miss the helicopter in the following video.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe attack laid bare a growing vulnerability: the Israel Defense Forces\u2019 lack of preparedness for first-person view (FPV) drones in Lebanon, which have been an increasingly prominent weapon in Hezbollah\u2019s arsenal during the current fighting,\u201d the Times of Israel reported on Monday.<\/a> \u201cThe Israel Defense Forces has reported dozens of drone-related injuries in recent weeks, though most were minor. Sunday\u2019s attack marked the first fatal FPV drone strike on Israeli forces.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYet the emergence of fiber optic-guided drones should not have come as a surprise,\u201d the paper highlighted. The reason is what we noted in our previous story <\/a>about this issue. The militant Lebanese group has used FPV drones against Israel since 2024<\/a> and they have been widely used by both sides in the Ukraine war for several years, as well as in other conflicts zones around the globe.<\/p>\n These strikes have become more prevalent the deeper Israel went into southern Lebanon. Videos of these recent attacks have been showing up on social media.<\/p>\n Hezbollah conducted more fiber-optic FPV strikes on Israeli vehicles in Lebanon, including two \u2018Merkava\u2019 Mk.4 tanks, a D9 Caterpillar armored bulldozer, and what appears to be a rare \u2018Namer\u2019 heavy IFV equipped with a turret mounting a 30 mm Bushmaster Mk 2 cannon. \u2014 Roy\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 (@GrandpaRoy2) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Moreover, Israeli Merkava tanks began sporting metal additions on top of vehicles meant to deflect top-down attacks from drones during the conflict in Gaza two years ago, which you can read more about here<\/a>. Some of those tanks that have come under attack recently have been observed with them as well. So Israel has been working to deal with the evolving FPV drone threat, on some level, for some time and it is not alone in struggling with it. Most militaries in the world face the possibility of this same vexing threat with no clear blanket countermeasure to deal with it.<\/p>\n Israeli military officials acknowledge that the IDF still lacks an effective counter to fiber-optic-guided drones, the Times of Israel noted, for reasons we have frequently reported<\/a>. Fiber optic cables mitigate the effect of electronic warfare efforts to jam radio signals as well as some of the limitations imposed by geographical features that can impede the line-of-sight radio connection between drone and operator.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IDF initially assessed that Hezbollah\u2019s fiber optic drones could only operate over a few kilometers,\u201d the outlet stated. \u201cLater, the military discovered launches occurring from distances of up to 15 kilometers (nine miles).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe gap was underscored on April 11, when the Defense Ministry\u2019s Directorate of Defense Research and Development<\/a> issued a public call for solutions to the threat \u2014 nearly two years after such systems first surfaced in Ukraine, and weeks into the current conflict with Hezbollah,\u201d according to the Times of Israel. \u201cThe Defense Ministry is seeking additional capabilities to address this threat. The purpose of this request is to identify innovative and mature technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u26a1\ufe0f\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\udde7Times of Israel: Sunday\u2019s Hezbollah drone attack in Taybeh, which killed Sgt. Idan Fooks and wounded six others, has exposed the IDF\u2019s lack of preparedness for first\u2011person view (FPV) drones, particularly those guided by fibre\u2011optic cables which are immune to electronic\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 War Monitor (@monitor11616) April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear how widespread the use of netting is currently by the IDF in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n \u201cThe issue of drones carrying fiber-optic cables is currently a threat without a clear solution,\u201d a high-ranking IDF official, who just returned from Lebanon, told us. \u201cWhat\u2019s been shown in the video seems more like an experimental concept rather than something that is already operational in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn practice, forces are using various improvised solutions\u2014fishing nets, camouflage nets, even soccer nets, along with drills involving small-arms fire at drones,\u201d he added. \u201cHowever, I personally haven\u2019t seen the specific net system mentioned being used on the ground yet.\u201d<\/p>\n The official said someone from the IDF\u2019s ground forces research and development team told him that the conclusion in the military is that \u201cthis solution is highly problematic. It allows the lower parts of the vehicle to remain exposed, areas that the net doesn\u2019t cover. The likely next step for the adversary would be to detonate the drone at a distance from the net, causing shrapnel to disperse toward the forces.\u201d<\/p>\n In a post on X Tuesday, Israeli military journalist Doron Kadosh said the issue of how to deal with Hezbollah FPV drones \u201ctook up significant volume in [Monday]\u2019s discussion at the IDF\u2019s senior command forum at Ramat David. The commander of the 282nd Artillery Brigade, which is currently fighting in Lebanon, Col. G., told the commanders: \u2018The drone threat is a significant operational challenge that we\u2019re dealing with. We need to think about how to organize better against this threat.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n IDF combat unit commanders fighting in Lebanon \u201cnow express great frustration with the drone threat and the few tools the IDF has to counter them,\u201d Kadosh added. \u201c\u2018There\u2019s not much you can do about it,\u2019 says a commander currently fighting in Lebanon. The briefing the forces receive boils down to\u2014 \u2018Stay alert, and if you spot a drone\u2014shoot at it.’\u201d<\/p>\n Some IDF units \u201chave already begun developing independent responses to the threat\u2014for example, nets deployed over positions, houses, and windows\u2014so that the drone gets caught in the net and doesn\u2019t hit its target,\u201d Kadosh continued. \u201cThis is an improvised response; we\u2019ve started deploying it with some of the forces, but it\u2019s far from sufficient,\u201d an officer currently fighting in Lebanon told the reporter. This would follow exactly what we saw in Ukraine, as both sides looked to improvised forms of protection from incoming drones, leading to rapid experimentation and many dead ends. <\/p>\n \u05d4\u05d1\u05d5\u05e7\u05e8 \u05d0\u05e6\u05dc @efitriger<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u05d0\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05e8\u05d7\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e0\u05e4\u05e5 \u05e9\u05de\u05d0\u05ea\u05d2\u05e8 \u05d0\u05ea \u05db\u05d5\u05d7\u05d5\u05ea \u05e6\u05d4\u05f4\u05dc \u05d1\u05d3\u05e8\u05d5\u05dd \u05dc\u05d1\u05e0\u05d5\u05df \u05d1\u05e9\u05d5\u05e8\u05ea \u05d4\u05ea\u05e7\u05e4\u05d5\u05ea \u05d9\u05d5\u05de\u05d9\u05d5\u05de\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05dc \u05d7\u05d6\u05d1\u05d0\u05dc\u05dc\u05d4:<\/p>\n \u05d4\u05e1\u05d5\u05d2\u05d9\u05d4 \u05ea\u05e4\u05e1\u05d4 \u05e0\u05e4\u05d7 \u05de\u05e9\u05de\u05e2\u05d5\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d2\u05dd \u05d1\u05d3\u05d9\u05d5\u05df \u05e4\u05d5\u05e8\u05d5\u05dd \u05d4\u05e4\u05d9\u05e7\u05d5\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d1\u05db\u05d9\u05e8 \u05e9\u05dc \u05e6\u05d4\u05f4\u05dc \u05d0\u05ea\u05de\u05d5\u05dc \u05d1\u05e8\u05de\u05ea \u05d3\u05d5\u05d3. \u05de\u05e4\u05e7\u05d3 \u05d7\u05d8\u05d9\u05d1\u05ea \u05d4\u05ea\u05d5\u05ea\u05d7\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd 282 \u05e9\u05e0\u05dc\u05d7\u05de\u05ea \u05db\u05e2\u05ea \u05d1\u05dc\u05d1\u05e0\u05d5\u05df, \u05d0\u05dc\u05f4\u05dd \u05e2\u05f3, \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05dc\u05de\u05e4\u05e7\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd: \u05f4\u05d0\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05d4\u05e8\u05d7\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05d0\u05ea\u05d2\u05e8 \u05de\u05d1\u05e6\u05e2\u05d9\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/jiSGrSEBGH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \u05d3\u05d5\u05e8\u05d5\u05df \u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9 | Doron Kadosh (@Doron_Kadosh) April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Despite the limitations, this netting has become fairly common in Ukraine, with both sides using netting over vehicles, buildings and miles and miles of roadway to provide safer corridors of travel.<\/p>\n About anti-FPV road net tunnels:<\/p>\n \u201cThousands of kilometers of equipped anti-drone corridors block the main logistical routes all the way to the forward positions \u2014 Roy\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 (@GrandpaRoy2) April 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n As we noted in our last piece on the growing FPV threat to Israeli forces, active protection systems (APS)<\/a> on armored vehicles are being adapted to provide hard-kill counter-drone protection<\/a>. These systems use sensors to detect incoming rocket-propelled grenades, missiles, and other projectiles, and fire projectiles to hit them before they strike the vehicle. Israel is a major pioneer in the APS space, with systems being deployed for decades, but just how soon it can upgrade existing systems, such as Iron Fist, for this application isn\u2019t clear. Also, this doesn\u2019t help many lighter vehicles that do not have APS capabilities. Still, it is one bright spot of hope of creating a defense against fiber optic FPVs, at least for lower volume attacks, although these are also very costly systems.<\/p>\n \t\t \n\t\t\t\tIron Fist APS | Active Protection System for Armored Vehicles\t\t\t<\/p>\n Regardless, we are likely to see more Israeli vehicles equipped with nets and other forms of passive protection in the coming days, and likely more advanced countermeasures if the war grinds on for a prolonged period. <\/p>\n Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com<\/p>\n Howard is a Senior Staff Writer for The War Zone, and a former Senior Managing Editor for Military Times. Prior to this, he covered military affairs for the Tampa Bay Times as a Senior Writer. Howard’s work has appeared in various publications including Yahoo News, RealClearDefense, and Air Force Times.<\/p>\n \t\t
1\/ https:\/\/t.co\/ms2nagNHrD<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/WDs6M3SpwW<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/HG6ww7IXoAA05O2.jpg\")
IDF troops claim they recently captured a cache of Hezbollah weapons in southern Lebanon, including first-person view (FPV) drones. (IDF) <\/p>\n
The goal is to ensure security up to a depth of 100 km from the contact line.\u201d
6\/ https:\/\/t.co\/Avipifv6Fr<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ES7gq20lln<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Iron](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777510991_657_hqdefault.jpg\"\/)
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