Israel acknowledges Hezbollah’s capabilities after downing of Hermes 900 drone

Sources within the Israeli military have acknowledged Hezbollah’s capabilities after the movement successfully downed an Israeli Hermes 900 drone, marking the first time it has achieved this feat. According to Haaretz, citing the sources as saying that this “is happening for the first time,” the incident serves as a reminder that “Israeli army drones are not immune.”

“The drone belonging to the Israeli army, which was shot down by the Islamic resistance fighters over Lebanese territory on the evening of Saturday, 6 April, 2024, was a Hermes 900,” said Hezbollah.

This was confirmed by the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, who said the drone — also known as the Kochav — had crashed in Lebanese territory after being hit by a surface-to-air missile.

⚡️#BREAKING Hezb-Allah publishes footage of them downing the armed Israeli Hermes 900 drone that was flying in Lebanese airspace pic.twitter.com/yXgaERY8at

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) April 6, 2024

Yesterday, Hezbollah released footage of its fighters shooting down the armed drone that had been violating Lebanon’s airspace the day before. In response, Israel has carried out air raids on Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, along the border with Syria. Two Lebanese security sources told Reuters that the Israeli attacks targeted a Hezbollah training camp in Janta, although there were no reported casualties.

In retaliation, Hezbollah launched around 40 rockets towards Israeli outposts in the occupied Golan Heights and the Galilee panhandle.

Al Mayadeen notes that Hezbollah’s anti-aircraft system includes a combination of heavy gunfire and shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles (MANPADS), such as the Strela-2 and Igla missiles. Haaretz, meanwhile, speculated that the targeting of the drone could have been done with a Saqr 358 missile.

In February, Hezbollah shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over Lebanese territory, also with a surface-to-air missile. That was the second time that it had announced the downing of this type of unmanned aerial vehicle. The Hermes 900, which entered operational service in 2014, is capable of precision air-to-ground attacks and extensive aerial surveillance. It is the second largest reconnaissance drone in the Israeli air force, and is priced at $6 million.

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