Israeli Army Radio: 11 military sites on the border with Lebanon are not fortified against suicide drones

The Israeli Army Radio reported that the Northern Command and the Israeli Ministry of Defense have decided to abandon the fortification of 11 military sites along the border with Lebanon due to budget shortages.

In a report, it added that this move comes “as part of a broad project launched by the army and the Ministry of Defense in recent months, under which a civilian company was contracted to carry out extensive fortification work at military sites against explosive-laden drones, including the installation of protective nets and additional defense measures.”

It quoted a well-informed Israeli military source as saying that “fortification work has halted at all sites along the border with Lebanon, after the Ministry of Defense stopped paying the implementing company.”

Without disclosing the names of these sites for security reasons, it said they are “important locations, most of which are situated directly on the border line. Some of them have been attacked in recent months by Hezbollah’s explosive-laden drones, resulting in injuries to soldiers.”

The report noted that “the budget shortfall puts soldiers at risk. While they can install protective nets themselves without relying on the company—a practice already common in the army—field forces insist that these measures are insufficient and of lower quality. There have been instances where explosive-laden drones managed to penetrate these nets.”

The report further pointed out that “only in recent hours, the army announced that it had killed members of an armed cell in Lebanon that was operating a drone toward its forces inside the security zone, indicating that this threat remains fully active.”

The Israeli Ministry of Defense responded to the report by stating that “the army is continuously working to improve and strengthen infrastructure in the border area, as part of a comprehensive plan to organize the zone and enhance the protection of troops.”

It added in a statement that “the protection of forces is the army’s top priority.” It denied the report’s claim that a decision had been made not to fortify certain sites, noting that “no decision has been taken to leave any military site unfortified. Rather, the project is being implemented gradually and in accordance with the action plan. Once completed, all military sites will be equipped with the required protective measures, in line with army standards.”