Israeli Army Tests New Drone Weapons in Hezbollah War Drill

Large scale drill in north brings back IDF’s “Momentum.”

By United With Israel Staff

With Hezbollah in its sights, a large-scale drill near the Lebanese border tested the IDF’s Kfir Brigade’s ability to work with new technology, including drones.

The brigade was originally formed in 2005 to combat Palestinian terror in Judea and Samaria. But changing manpower and technology will enable it to challenge the Hezbollah threat in the north.

“The changes will turn Kfir into a more lethal maneuvering infantry force,” Maj. Guy Cohen, Operations Officer in the 92nd Battalion, told The Jerusalem Post. “And that’s what we worked on during the drill.” The 92nd Battalion is one of five battalions that comprise Kfir.

By the end of 2022, the Brigade will be completely outfitted with and trained to use new weapons and carriers, Cohen said.

The drill was significant, Cohen added, because the security establishment sees the Hezbollah terror group as the IDF’s greatest challenge.

Kfir’s changes are part of the military’s Momentum Plan, a multi-year program to create what some call a “sharper, more lethal” IDF. The plan, unveiled by Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi in 2019, will digitally network the fighting units and see major investment in mid-size drones, precision-guided munitions, air defense systems and artificial intelligence.

The Momentum Plan also calls for greater training in urban combat to fight terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah embedded in civilian areas.

Unfortunately for IDF planners, Momentum lost some of its thrust due to political paralysis. During Israel’s two years of caretaker government, no national budget was passed, hampering Kochavi’s implementation of Momentum and other long-term planning.