As Israel has established a buffer zone inside Lebanon, the Iranian-backed terrorist group has shifted to using relatively small quadcopter-type drones that are attached to a fiber-optic cable.
An Israel Defense Forces reservist, First Sergeant (Res.) Alexander Glovanyov, was killed near the Israel-Lebanon border, the IDF said on May 11. According to Ynet, “the incident occurred Sunday when several explosive FPV drones were launched from Lebanon and exploded inside Israeli territory near the border. Glovanyov was killed by the explosion of one of the drones, launched in what Israel said was another Hezbollah violation of the ceasefire understandings.” This latest deadly incident illustrates the need for better defenses. Israel knows this is a challenge. One place Israel might look for cooperation is Ukraine.
The Hezbollah FPV drone threat has been growing over the past month. As Israel has established a buffer zone inside Lebanon, the Iranian-backed terrorist group has shifted to using relatively small quadcopter-type drones that are attached to a fiber-optic cable. They are called FPV drones because of how the operator views the drone’s flight. The real challenge is not the FPV aspect, but rather the fiber-optic cable, which makes them difficult to jam. In addition, because they are small and fly close to the ground, they are hard to detect.
This is not a new threat. These types of drones have been around for years and have been widely used in front-line battles in Ukraine. In that war, both Russia and Ukraine have innovated in the use of relatively cheap drones at the front. The point of using cheap drones is that they can be lost in large numbers. They are “attritable,” a term meaning expendable. The concept of these drones is that they can be easily built with several rotors and then connected to the user via a fiber-optic spool. A munition is then placed on the bottom of the drone, usually one similar in size to an RPG shell.
An Israeli soldier gestures to a tank to move forward as the tank goes onto a truck to move away from the site, on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon, May 3, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/SHIR TOREM)
FPV threat offers excellent opportunity for Israeli-Ukrainian cooperation
Ukraine has experience dealing with tens of thousands of drones a month on the front line, both as threats and as drones used by Ukrainian forces. It is also producing large numbers of drones. The FPV threat appears to be an excellent opportunity for Israel and Ukraine to work together.
Throughout the years of war between Russia and Ukraine, Kyiv has often appeared to receive a kind of cold shoulder from Israel. In 2022-2023, the excuse was that Israel did not want to anger Russia. Russia had troops in Syria, and the Assad regime was in charge there. Israel needed ties with Russia to enable operations against Iranian entrenchment in Syria. This was the theory, at least. When the Assad regime fell in December 2024, the Syria excuse appeared to become less relevant. Russia was no longer as important in the region. Another question about Russia should have emerged after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Moscow has met with and hosted Hamas leaders. Wasn’t it time, after October 7, to see Ukraine as a friend and ally?
Israeli leaders often talk about how Israel is a key US ally and part of the West. They talk about the country as a democracy in the Middle East. Ukraine is also a democracy and a defender of the West. As such, Israel and Ukraine should have much in common. They also have much in common historically. Many early Zionist leaders came from areas that are now Ukraine, such as Odesa. There is a deep cultural and Jewish connection to Ukraine. There are also many people from Ukraine who have made aliyah to Israel over the last five decades. As such, Ukraine would seem a natural ally, given that its fighters have become experts at dealing with drone threats.
The drone threat and the current success Ukraine has seen on the battlefield could provide an opportunity for Jerusalem to reconsider its stance regarding Ukraine. In defense industry circles, the experience in Ukraine, particularly the innovations and challenges on the front lines, is seen as particularly relevant to future warfare. In Israel, when defense industry experts look at war, they often look at the recent experience of the IDF in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as what countries are learning from Ukraine.
There is already an existing defense knowledge pipeline emerging from Ukraine. Confronting FPV drone threats is just one example. Considering Israel’s current challenges on the Lebanon front, it appears the FPV drone threat could provide a good opportunity for Israel, Ukraine, the US, and other partners and allies to learn from one another. Many Gulf countries have already reached out to Kyiv. Israel could do well to learn from them.