IDF Officer Killed in Hezbollah Drone Attack on Northern Israel

Latest Developments

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer was killed during a Hezbollah drone attack in northern Israel on August 19. Chief Warrant Officer Mahmud Amaria, a 45-year-old from the Bedouin village of Ibtin, had served as a tracker in the 300th “Baram” Regional Brigade. He died when the Iran-backed terrorist organization launched five drones in an early morning attack. While three of the drones were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, but two of them made impact, with one landing near the town of Ya’ara, where Amaria was killed. A second man was seriously wounded. The IDF carried out retaliatory strikes in southern Lebanon.

Expert Analysis

“Hezbollah’s drone attacks have become more precise and deadly over the last 10 months. The Iranian-backed terrorist group is seeking to innovate with its kamikaze drones, testing new capabilities and increasingly using them to carry out strikes on military sites in northern Israel. The drone threat from Hezbollah is a critical component of the wider threat posed by Iranian-backed proxies who possess the new types of attack drones that are being using in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and other parts of the region to spread terror and instability.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“Over the past 10 months, Hezbollah has adopted a strategy aimed at engaging the Israeli military and targeting civilian infrastructure in northern Israel. Although their confrontations with Israeli forces have been limited, Hezbollah has nonetheless acquired valuable experience in operating drones over the Lebanon-Israel border area.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Hezbollah Bolsters Drone Attacks on Israel

Hezbollah has launched more than 7,500 rocket attacks and 200 drone attacks on Israel in more than ten months. The attacks began in the wake of the Hamas atrocities in southern Israel on October 7. Hezbollah has also expanded the range of its attacks, targeting the communities of Shamir in northern Israel on August 15 and Ayalet HaShachar in the Huleh Valley on August 17, both for the first time.

“Hezbollah Unveils Vast Underground Missile Complex,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hezbollah Targets Northern Israel With Drones,” FDD Flash Brief

“Multiple Injuries in Northern Israel After Hezbollah Drone Attack,” FDD Flash Brief