Hezbollah Deploys Attack Drones, ‘Burkan’ Missiles in Fight with Israel

Mourners are seen at the funeral procession of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in clashes with Israel. (dpa)
Mourners are seen at the funeral procession of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in clashes with Israel. (dpa)
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Hezbollah Deploys Attack Drones, ‘Burkan’ Missiles in Fight with Israel

Mourners are seen at the funeral procession of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in clashes with Israel. (dpa)
Mourners are seen at the funeral procession of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in clashes with Israel. (dpa)

Hezbollah has deployed new weapons and tactics in its latest round of fighting with Israel in spite of its limited involvement in the war in Gaza, confining military operations in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

While currently representing only a small fraction of a larger arsenal and strategy, Hezbollah’s weapons and tactics may become pivotal elements should the scope of the conflict expand, leaving room for potential surprises.

In a recent address, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced a “quantitative escalation in the number of operations and the type of weapons used.”

“For the first time, kamikaze drones and ‘Burkan’ missiles weighing between 300 kilograms and half a ton have been deployed,” he revealed.

According to sources close to Hezbollah, plans and strategies have been devised for navigating the current battle, with preparations also underway for a comprehensive war.

They link the possibility of a war spillover to the deteriorating situation in Gaza.

In their ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel are primarily relying on drones, a factor that played a minimal role in their last war n 2006.

Additionally, advanced Burkan missiles have been introduced into the equation for the first time.

Riad Kahwaji, who heads the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) in Dubai, pointed out that Hezbollah has launched four Burkan missiles, each carrying a warhead exceeding 100 kilograms.

Kahwaji, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, explained that Hezbollah employs suicide drones for attacks and espionage, highlighting that the tactic of coordinated attacks, launched from various fronts, is a double-edged sword, creating additional targets for Israel.

According to Kahwaji, Hezbollah is currently attempting to fight in a conventional military style, putting it at a disadvantage since Israel has aerial superiority, enabling it to monitor the movements of party operatives and leave greater casualties among its members.



UN: Lifelines Keeping People Alive in Gaza Are Collapsing

21 July 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Mourners pray near the bodies of Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes, according to medics, during the funeral at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
21 July 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Mourners pray near the bodies of Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes, according to medics, during the funeral at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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UN: Lifelines Keeping People Alive in Gaza Are Collapsing

21 July 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Mourners pray near the bodies of Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes, according to medics, during the funeral at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
21 July 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Mourners pray near the bodies of Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes, according to medics, during the funeral at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is appalled by an accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions in Gaza "where the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing," his spokesperson said on Monday.

"He deplores the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

"Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all the means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the United Nations and by other humanitarian organizations."

Israeli ground troops for the first time Monday pushed into areas of a central Gaza city where several aid groups are based, in what appeared to be the latest effort to carve up the Palestinian territory with military corridors.

Deir al-Balah is the only Gaza city that has not seen major ground operations or suffered widespread devastation in 21 months of war, leading to speculation that the Hamas militant group holds large numbers of hostages there. The main group representing hostages’ families said it was “shocked and alarmed” by the incursion, which was confirmed by an Israeli military official, and demanded answers from Israeli leaders.

Israel says the seizure of territory in Gaza is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages, but it is a major point of contention in ongoing ceasefire talks.

The UN food agency, meanwhile, accused Israeli forces of firing on a crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend. Gaza's Health Ministry called it one of the deadliest attacks on aid-seekers in the war that has driven the territory to the brink of famine.