The IDF marked a tactical breakthrough on Tuesday in defending against low-altitude aerial threats after an explosive drone fired by Hezbollah was intercepted for the first time using frangible ammunition fired from a standard assault gun.

Although defense officials described the interception as only “a drop in the ocean” compared to the scale of the threat, it is considered the first operational proof that the new ammunition, purchased from the US, can help counter the growing drone threat facing IDF troops along the northern border.

The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon when Hezbollah launched a swarm of seven explosive drones at the IDF’s Shomera base in the western Galil. Five of the drones penetrated air defenses and exploded inside the base, lightly injuring several soldiers.

Another drone became entangled in a protective net deployed at the site and didn’t explode, and the seventh drone was shot down by an IDF soldier with his gun equipped with a special magazine loaded with frangible rounds.

The ammunition—5.56mm frangible rounds adapted for use in standard IDF-issued M16 and Tavor assault rifles—effectively turns the rifles into shotgun-like anti-drone weapons. Unlike conventional bullets, the rounds fragment into five metal pellets immediately after leaving the barrel, creating a much wider spread pattern and significantly increasing the chances of hitting fast-moving aerial targets such as drones and UAVs.

Its main advantage, however, is logistical. Rather than requiring troops to carry additional bulky equipment, the system allows soldiers to transform their existing rifles into compact anti-drone platforms simply by switching magazines—effectively turning frontline soldiers into independent “air defense systems.”

Still, the new capability remains limited against Hezbollah’s evolving tactics. The terror group has increasingly been firing “drone swarms”—firing multiple drones simultaneously in an effort to overwhelm Israeli air defenses.  As seen in the results of the attack in Shomera, where only one out of seven drones was intercepted by the rounds, multiple methods are required to combat the lethal threat.

As reported on Tuesday, Hezbollah has begun “hunting down”  IDF commanders in southern Lebanon and along the border in order to target them with drone strikes.

(YWN Israel Desk — Jerusalem)