An internal document from the IDF Operations Directorate, circulated as early as May 2025, reveals that Israel’s defense establishment had received explicit warnings about the growing threat of fiber-optic explosive drones, Army Radio reported on Thursday morning.

The document, signed by then-head of the Operations Directorate, Maj-Gen. Oded Basiuk, outlined operational vulnerabilities and stressed the urgent need for defensive solutions.

The document stated unequivocally that areas within 15–20 kilometers of the frontline have become exposed zones where soldiers and staging areas are vulnerable to direct attacks.

It also stressed that traditional defense systems based on electronic warfare were ineffective against fiber-optic explosive drones, leaving forces on the ground almost completely exposed.

The Operations Directorate did not merely issue warnings. It presented a clear operational requirement that included the procurement of 12-gauge shotguns, autonomous firing systems, the use of camouflage nets, and the incorporation of information about the threat and countermeasures into military training programs and exercises.

The document was sent to the IDF’s Ground Forces and Planning Directorate, and the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development. However, despite the clear warnings, the recommended measures were not implemented in time. The IDF is only now—after two IDF soldiers and one civilian lost their lives and almost 40 soldiers were wounded—accelerating measures to counter the threat. The IDF and the Defense Ministry only placed orders for the shotguns and specialized ammunition in recent weeks—a critical delay that cost a heavy price.

The warning was based on an in-depth analysis of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, where fiber-optic drones had already become an operational standard by early 2024.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)