The enemy is haunted by the “Karar” drone: Hezbollah’s technical superiority has amazed our army and terrified us.

The story continues:

1. Kings of the Sky! – The Story of the Air Force of Hezbollah
2. 30 Years… From Gliders to Drones, And From Syria to “Karish” to Al-Aqsa Flood
3. The enemy is haunted by the “Karar” drone: Hezbollah’s technical superiority has amazed our army and terrified us.
4. Intelligence and Military Confrontation and High-Tech Systems:
What Are The Details of the Electronic Warfare Between the Resistance and the Enemy?
5. Cost of Drones vs. Cost of Countering Them
6. The Hezbollah Drone Family
7. How did Hezbollah’s needle deflate the legendary balloon?

The enemy’s media’s focus on drones that “target our forces along the border” has sparked an interest in retrieving all the information leaked by the “israeli” military and its agencies about the drones that Hezbollah is believed to possess. The enemy’s press has sharply criticized the current failure, especially since the enemy had announced last year that it had successfully conducted an exercise in the north to repel an attack by dozens of drones simultaneously.

The “Walla” website revisited a time when everyone knew that the threat from drones “became tangible after the Ukraine-Russia war, but our army did not prepare properly and did not find an effective solution. Worse still, Hezbollah managed to destroy the military facility of the ‘Tal Shamayim’ balloon, which was supposed to monitor, identify, and warn of threats. Furthermore, Hezbollah is  showing us drones that carry missiles which can be launched at targets, and it does not seem that the Iron Dome is performing its job.”

After the “Elkosh” operation, the enemy’s media demanded that the head of the Air Force, General Tomer Bar, explain what was happening. A report from Maariv stated: “Hezbollah has turned the Galilee into a research and development lab for weapons, producing precise and deadly arms in preparation for a large-scale confrontation with “israel”.

Meanwhile, Haaretz urged the public not to “believe the Chief of Staff; he is living in a movie. We are not prepared for a war in Lebanon; this would lead to massive destruction in the Galilee and attacks on Haifa and Gush Dan.” Others raised more sensitive questions, such as: “Hezbollah’s air superiority continues to astonish “israel”. How long will Hezbollah be able to use its drones freely in “israeli” airspace? It has become clear that in the next war, Lebanese skies will not be under the control of the Air Force.” Then came the cry from former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said: “Everything we are seeing from Hezbollah now is just an experiment. They are simply trying to learn about our defense system, our air defenses, the nature of our response, and its speed.”  Military personnel justified the failure by saying that “Hezbollah possesses very small drones. Also, there is the flight time, as the army does not have much time to prepare and intercept. Additionally, the terrain of the Galilee is very complex and difficult.”

After Hezbollah released surveillance videos under the name “The Hoopoe” (Al-Hudhud), the criticism reached a new level. Hadshot Bazman reported: “You are lucky as a settler because you do not know most of the information about the north; otherwise, you would not sleep at night. Hezbollah’s drones do not need a visa, and they are controlled remotely via cameras with an operator in the control room. What you do not know will not kill you now, and they are telling us: We are here, inside you, planning, and capable of delivering harsh strikes.”  Maariv added: “The Air Force has been asleep at the wheel for years.” The sarcasm reached the point where one person wrote: “I lost a black leather wallet at Haifa Port; we hope Hezbollah will locate it accurately and professionally.”

Journalists reported that Hezbollah revealed drones it possessed in November 2004 when it “managed to bring the ‘Marsad’ [drone] into “israeli” airspace for 18 minutes and skillfully returned it to the place it launched from in Lebanon. Since then, 18 years have passed in building and enhancing this force, mainly with the help of security industries, the army, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”

The enemy is also constantly haunted by the “Karar” drone. Calcalist published a report stating:  “’Israel’s’ security has become elusive with the presence of the ‘Karar’ drone in Hezbollah’s arsenal,”  noting that the “Karar” was developed from the American “Striker” drone, with modifications including moving the engine from the belly to the back, increasing fuel tank capacity, adjusting the wings, and
reducing weight to increase flight speed. Its toughness and durability were also improved. It is a multi-role offensive drone capable of flying up to a range of 1,000 kilometers, with speeds between 700 and 900 km/h. It can reach altitudes of 35,000 feet like a fighter jet or descend to tree top level like a cruise missile to evade detection. It carries a versatile 225 kg “MK 82” bomb and releases it as if it were an F-16 fighter jet.

The “Karar” drone has proven its ability to shoot down an American reconnaissance aircraft. Instead of using a standard fragmentation bomb, Hezbollah can equip the “Karar” with an armor-piercing cluster bomb to threaten tanks and facilities, or it can attach a lightweight anti-ship torpedo or a runway-busting bomb that can disable airports.

A senior officer in a key position within the air defense system currently stationed in northern occupied Palestine summarizes the situation with Hezbollah’s drones as follows:  “Practically, a soldier in the air force control room sees a suspicious mark of an aircraft and must decide within seconds whether it is an enemy, a bird, a civilian aircraft, or an “israeli” military vessel. He marks it, alerts about the threat, selects the interception method, and ensures the target is hit.  We have had a few cases where we launched intercept missiles at birds. Often, our assets flying in the combat zone have radar signatures similar to those of Hezbollah drones. Occasionally, an “israeli” army unit might operate a drone without any prior notice. Sometimes, we have mistakenly shot down our own drones.”

Featured Image:  Sky Dew (“Tal Shamayim” in Hebrew)