The newspaper “Israel Hayom” revealed an internal document issued by the Northern Command of the Israeli army, which considered that the use of special cluster munitions to confront the bomb-laden drones of “Hezbollah” constituted an “operational success,” after an incident that occurred in southern Lebanon.
According to the document, the incident took place yesterday when Hezbollah launched an attack drone towards an Israeli force operating in the southern sector, where a soldier from an engineering battalion operating under the 401st Division Brigade was able to intercept the drone using a munition called “Liya” from a distance of approximately 60 meters.
The document indicated that this ammunition was supplied to the forces during recent days, and is intended to engage air targets at short and medium ranges, ranging between 50 and 100 metres. She also explained that the soldier who carried out the interception operation was the only one within his team authorized to use this type of ammunition, which is kept in a special warehouse marked with a red mark on the military jacket.
According to the Israeli assessment, the drone was not completely destroyed, but the warhead was completely separated from it, and the battery and electrical system were severely damaged, which neutralized the danger.
The document concluded that the use of ammunition at medium range was “appropriate,” and that a partial hit was sufficient in some cases to eliminate the threat, noting that the availability of the ammunition store was what allowed the soldier to quickly deal with the drone.
On the other hand, the newspaper acknowledged that the Israeli army is still unable to confirm the extent of the effectiveness of these munitions in ending the threat of bomb-laden drones, which has become an increasing challenge on the southern Lebanon front.
She added that the Israeli army is also adopting other means to confront this type of attack, including deploying protection networks over sites and fortifications, hiding some military points, in addition to using medium- and long-range targeting and interception systems.
The report also indicated that the Israeli army provided some soldiers with hunting rifles that use ammunition to be dispersed over a wide area, and are considered effective against drones at short distances of up to about 50 metres.
