Hezbollah Downs Israeli Hermes 450 Drone Over South Lebanon

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah – announced that its fighters successfully shot down a large Hermes 450 Israeli drone violating Lebanese airspace over the town of Iqlim al-Tuffah in South Lebanon, using a surface-to-air missile.

The Resistance said in its statement that the downing of the drone “could be seen with the naked eye”, and confirmed that “the eyes of its fighters will remain wide awake, will continue repelling the Israeli occupation’s drones, and prevent the achievement of its aggressive goals.”

Earlier, Israeli media reported that alarm sirens sounded in the Marj Ebn-Amer in the “Afoula” region, noting that anti-air systems repelled the surface-to-air missile launched from Lebanon. 

Israeli media initially claimed that the missile launched from Lebanon against the UAV missed. However, Hezbollah’s statement confirmed the contrary. 

What is the Hermez 450? 

The Hermes 45, also known by its Hebrew name, the “Zik” UAV, is a multifaceted drone used for:

-Aerial interception and reconnaissance.

-Locating, monitoring, and attacking targets on land.

-Directing artillery fire.

-Providing additional intel and fire support for land forces.

-Signal reconnaissance at the tactical level.

-Implementing armed patrols to address emergency targets.

What is it specialized in?

-Capable of daytime and thermal imaging up to a distance of 4.5 km

-Capable of laser targeting fixed and moving targets

-Capable of carrying Four-Star, GATR, and Martlet missiles

Characteristics

-Length: 6.1 meters

-Width: 10.6 meters

-Range: 300 kilometers

-Net weight: 550 kilograms

-Altitude: Up to 6 kilometers

-Flight range: Up to 18 hours

-Speed: 60 meters per second

Israeli media comments

Monday’s events were coined as “exceptional” by Israeli media, specifically the firing of a missile from Lebanon toward al-Jalil. In this context, Israeli Channel 13’s correspondent in occupied North Palestine reportedly said, “We have been seeing escalations in the North from Hezbollah’s fighters all morning long.”

Israeli military affairs analyst Hillel Peyton Rosen said the incident was “extremely dangerous”, while Israeli military correspondent Amir Bohbot declared the incident as one that undermined the superiority of the Israeli Air Force.

It is worth noting that the Hermes 450 was the first Israeli drone to be hit and downed in Lebanon since the start of the war, Israeli Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh said. 

In this regard, it is worth remembering that Hezbollah took control of an Israeli drone in only three minutes last week

An Israeli correspondent pointed out that the drone belonging to the council of the Israeli “Metulla” settlement was purchased from contributors several weeks ago, to assess the damage to the settlement’s houses due to anti-armor rockets without exposing civil defense groups to danger.

He recalled that last Thursday, the drone disappeared into Lebanese territory three minutes after being launched into the sky, causing great frustration.

Hamershlag added that the council of the Israeli “Metulla” settlement is looking for contributors willing to pay for a new drone,” adding that the question that remains is, “Who is willing to pay again for a piece there is a high possibility that Hezbollah will capture again?”