A video has been shared online allegedly showing an Israeli Iron Dome air defense launcher being hit by an FPV drone.
The footage published on X by @war_noir captures a drone attack on a position of the Israeli air defense system in the Jal al-Alam area near the border with Lebanon.
Comments under the video suggest the attack was carried out by Hezbollah, who may have used a fiber-optic FPV drone.
This type of control allows operators to avoid interference from electronic warfare, as the signal is transmitted via a physical cable rather than a radio link.
The drone can be seen approaching a target resembling an Iron Dome launcher before exploding.
The drone may have been equipped with a warhead based on a PG-7 hand-held anti-tank grenade or an improvised explosive device.
Iron Dome
Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems developed the air defense system in cooperation with RTX (formerly Raytheon). It is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets, cruise missiles, and aircraft.
The system consists of a radar station that detects air targets, a fire control center, and several launchers with interceptor missiles. A typical battery includes three launchers, each with 20 missiles.
The system was designed to protect Israeli civilians from rockets and mortars fired by militant groups in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It entered service in April 2011 after intercepting a Grad rocket fired from Gaza toward Ashkelon.
The destruction of elements of such a system by low-cost strike drones highlights the growing vulnerability of traditional air defense systems to asymmetric weapons.
In recent years, fiber-optically guided FPV drones have become more widespread due to their resistance to electronic warfare.
However, there is currently no independent official confirmation of the extent of damage to the launcher or whether it was destroyed.
The incident once again highlights that even advanced air defense systems require additional protection against small strike drones.
Militarnyi previously reported a similar incident in which Hezbollah struck an Israeli Iron Dome launcher.
