Hezbollah's growing use of fibre-optic FPV (First Person View) drones along Israel's northern border has exposed a major gap in its battlefield defences, with military officials warning that the small, low-flying drones are proving extremely difficult to detect, jam or intercept.According to Israeli media reports, Hezbollah has been using fibre-optic cables tethered to FPV drones, allowing operators to manually guide them while bypassing Israeli electronic jamming systems.The drones, which have become a defining feature of the Russia-Ukraine war, are now increasingly being used by the Iran-backed group in Lebanon against Israeli troops, military positions and vehicles near the border.Israeli officials say the threat has escalated sharply over the past month as Hezbollah shifts from larger rockets and missiles to cheaper, highly manoeuvrable drones that can evade advanced defence systems.Unlike conventional drones that rely on radio signals or satellite navigation, these FPV drones are connected directly to their operators through fibre-optic cables sometimes stretching between 10 and 30 kilometres. Because they do not transmit wireless signals, Israeli electronic warfare systems cannot jam or disrupt them.The drones are also extremely small, fly close to the ground and are often made from lightweight fibreglass, giving them little thermal or radar signature. Military analysts say this combination makes them hard to detect until it is too late.The challenge has become increasingly visible on the battlefield. According to Israeli media reports, Hezbollah recently released footage showing an FPV drone striking an Iron Dome battery near the northern border.In another attack near the Israel-Lebanon border, Israeli reservist First Sergeant Alexander Glovanyov was killed after explosive drones launched from Lebanon struck inside Israeli territory.The Jerusalem Post said senior Israeli officials discussed several pilot programmes during a visit to southern Lebanon last week to improve the detection and interception of FPV drones. However, it noted that the military is still "trying to catch up in real time" as the threat rapidly evolves.According to an AL Jazeera report, a military correspondent Doron Kadosh quoted one commander as saying, "There isn’t much to do about it." According to the report, troops are largely being instructed to remain alert and shoot at drones if spotted.In the absence of a reliable military solution, some Israeli units have begun improvising their own defences by hanging nets over military positions, vehicles and buildings in the hope that drones will become entangled before exploding.Israeli officials admit the military entered the conflict without sufficient tools to counter fibre-optic drones despite similar tactics being widely used in Ukraine and Gaza in recent years.The drones’ effectiveness lies not only in their ability to avoid jamming but also in their precision. Equipped with high-resolution optical cameras transmitting uncompressed video through fibre-optic cables, operators can manually guide them toward vulnerable points on tanks and military vehicles, including turrets and tracks.Analysts say some drones are fitted with anti-armour shaped charges, effectively turning low-cost commercial-style quadcopters into precision-guided weapons capable of damaging heavily protected vehicles.The drones have reportedly even challenged Israel’s Trophy active protection system, which is designed to detect and intercept incoming projectiles on Merkava tanks.A military analyst, Hassan Jouni told AL Jazeera that the drones effectively blind traditional early warning systems because they leave almost no detectable electronic signature.The technology itself is not new. Fibre-optic FPV drones became widely used during the Ukraine war, where both Russian and Ukrainian forces increasingly relied on them in heavily jammed combat zones. Because the drones are relatively cheap and expendable, they can be deployed in large numbers.Experts say the concept is simple: small rotor-based drones connected to a fibre-optic spool, carrying explosive payloads often comparable in size to RPG shells, AP reported.Israel believes many of Hezbollah’s drones are assembled locally using commercially available components and 3D printing technology. Security journalist Ali Jezzini estimated that some of the drones may cost between $300 and $400 each.An Israeli military official told AP that Hezbollah appears to have turned increasingly to fibre-optic drones because Israeli air defences have become highly effective against larger rockets and missiles.Former Israeli air defence commander Ran Kochav acknowledged that Israel is struggling to defend against the new threat."They fly very low and very fast, and they are very small, it’s very difficult to detect them, and even after they’re detected, they are really hard to track," he said.Kochav added that Israel spent years focusing heavily on missile and rocket defence systems while drones did not receive the same level of priority. He said Israel should have anticipated that groups allied to Iran would eventually adopt the same battlefield innovations seen in Ukraine.Israeli defence firms are now attempting to respond. One such company, Smart Shooter, which develops computer-vision-based fire control systems, says its technology is already being used by Israeli troops to counter drone threats.Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Smart Shooter VP of Product Shir Ahuvia said fibre-optic drones have made the challenge far more complex because they are immune to electronic warfare systems."Troops can carry out a kinetic interception of the threat," Ahuvia said, referring to physically shooting down the drones as the only viable option.