Media: Israel Defence Forces suffer record losses in Lebanon

Hezbollah says it has intensified the use of first-person-view (FPV) drones against Israeli armoured units operating near southern Lebanon, in what it describes as an escalating phase of cross-border fighting.

In footage released by the group, FPV drones are shown striking Israeli armoured vehicles, including Merkava IV tank, D9 armoured bulldozer and Namer APC, Military Watch Magazine (MWM) reports.

The claims could not be independently verified, and the Israel Defence Forces has not publicly confirmed the specific incidents.

The group says the drone operations are part of broader efforts to resist Israeli ground activity in southern Lebanon. According to Hezbollah statements, its fighters have carried out a series of ambushes and coordinated strikes on Israeli positions, although detailed battlefield evidence remains limited.

The reported increase in FPV drone activity reflects tactics seen in other contemporary conflicts, where small, low-cost drones have been used to target armoured formations and bypass electronic warfare systems.

Analysts cited in the report suggest that some of the methods employed may draw on lessons from recent conflicts, including the use of fibre-optic guidance to reduce susceptibility to jamming, though no direct evidence of external operational cooperation has been presented.

Israeli forces have previously acknowledged casualties and occasional equipment losses during cross-border clashes, but generally do not comment on individual battlefield claims made by Hezbollah.

The current escalation is widely described by regional observers as one of the most intense phases of confrontation between the two sides in years, involving a mix of drone warfare, artillery exchanges and infantry operations along the border.

By Aghakazim Guliyev