AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The Zionist regime’s military has deployed a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles of the “Hermes 450 Zik” and “Hermes 900 Kochav” types over Lebanon, which operate using artificial intelligence tools. These technologies enable the drones to automatically identify targets and make decisions regarding how to engage with the target, from surveillance to attack. These drones are fully integrated into the operational activities of the Zionist regime’s military at all levels, from units and brigades to battalions.
According to a report by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, citing internal documents published by the Hebrew daily Haaretz, the Zionist regime’s military describes these drones as “producers of targets and intelligence information.” These systems determine targets and direct fire. The artificial intelligence tools installed on them, after processing vast amounts of data, enable independent decision-making. A matter which, according to Haaretz, has given these systems a central position in combat
A program called “Server in the Sky” – a computer installed on the drone – allows the aircraft to independently analyze and classify information and send it directly to the relevant departments in the Zionist regime’s military.
The drone system of the Zionist regime’s military, produced by the company Elbit Systems, has been operating around the clock over Gaza and Lebanon during the recent war. In the first months of the war, following Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, the flight rate of these drones increased fivefold, and they monitored nearly all areas of the Gaza Strip for reconnaissance and target classification, including drones belonging to resistance groups.
Documents published by Haaretz also reveal an increasing trend toward algorithmic automation across all unmanned equipment of the Zionist regime’s military – a trend that allows these machines to make some decisions independently.
Server in the Sky
The documents explain how drone operations have been automated and how advanced software, including the “SITS” system or “Server In The Sky,” has been installed on them to enhance the capabilities of military systems.
This system is a computer installed on the drone itself that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to expand drone missions. The system’s algorithm independently analyzes data collected by the drone’s sensors, automatically identifies and classifies targets, and decides whether to track them or relay their information to various branches of the Zionist regime’s military – from command rooms to air force pilots and ground forces.
The system also enables independent management of a fleet of drones within a specified geographic area and can shift missions between different drones to maintain constant surveillance. For example, if clouds suddenly obscure the target or a drone is forced to abort its operation due to a surface-to-air missile threat, surveillance coverage is automatically transferred to another drone.
Investigative-Forensic Intelligence
Internal documents disclosed to Haaretz describe another significant capability of the Zionist regime’s military drone fleet: the “WAPS” surveillance system, which stands for Wide Area Persistent Surveillance.
Elbit Systems had introduced this system about a decade ago at the Paris Air Show, but documents indicate that the system has regained attention following its successes in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
The system consists of a special payload installed beneath the “Hermes” drones in both the “Zik 450” and “Kochav 900” models. This payload includes an array of ten electro-optical cameras that enable high-resolution, real-time imaging.
A drone equipped with this system can cover an area of 80 square kilometers – roughly a quarter of the Gaza Strip. Unlike a conventional camera, which can only monitor a small, specific area, the camera array allows simultaneous surveillance of multiple areas across a broad battlefield.
The “WAPS” system also offers a capability referred to in the documents as investigative-forensic intelligence – that is, the ability to rewind video footage in actual real time. In this way, it is possible to trace the path of an individual, missile, or projectile from its point of origin and reconstruct a chain of events after they have occurred.
According to the documents, this surveillance system possesses automated analysis capabilities, including classification and sorting of information.
Guidance and Sky Protection
The “Hermes 450 Zik” drone has been in service with the Zionist regime’s military for over two decades and is considered the backbone of its drone fleet. This tactical drone can carry up to 150 kilograms of various equipment under its wings, including advanced cameras, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with night-vision and cloud-penetrating capabilities, and communications interception and electronic intelligence systems.
However, the “Hermes 900 Kochav” drone has been in operational service for over a decade and can carry a payload of up to 350 kilograms. This drone can fly for nearly 35 hours – almost twice as long as the previous model. The “Zik” drone can carry up to four air-to-ground missiles, while the “Kochav” can carry eight.
The documents describe the “Hermes” fleet as a central and essential component in combat efforts, performing both defensive and offensive missions simultaneously. The primary mission of these drones is described as providing close air support to the Zionist regime’s ground forces in urban areas and establishing a 360-degree protective umbrella.
Drone vs. Drone
The documents also point to another previously undisclosed capability of the Zionist regime’s drones: the ability to detect drones entering its airspace from the Lebanese and Syrian fronts.
According to the documents disclosed to Haaretz, the war that began with Operation Al-Aqsa Storm caught the Zionist regime by surprise, and the regime was not fully prepared to counter advanced aerial threats. In 2021, the “Sky Dew” surveillance balloon was deployed in the north of the occupied territories for early warning and detection. The balloon was developed to compensate for blind spots in ground-based radars and was supposed to detect low-flying drones and cruise missiles entering from the northern and eastern fronts. However, about six months into the war, a Hezbollah drone managed to destroy the system before it became fully operational.
The documents explain how the drone fleet has become a new partner in hunting other drones: the electro-optical system installed on the “Kochav” drone is coordinated with the “Server in the Sky” software to enable aerial detection of drones.
$ 20 Billion
The value of the Zionist regime’s military exports reached $20 billion in the year 2025 – an increase of about 30 percent compared to 2024. Drones account for 4 percent of this export total, or about $800 million, most of which comes from the regime’s three major arms companies: Elbit Systems, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace Industries. Among the most important buyers of the Zionist regime’s drones are Azerbaijan, Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and the European Union.
Artificial Intelligence Operating at Full Capacity in the Zionist Regime’s Military
Last March, the Zionist regime’s military confirmed for the first time that its artificial intelligence infrastructure has been fully activated and integrated into the offensive drone system known as “Storm Clouds.” This system manages groups of drones for intelligence gathering and attack, and according to documents disclosed by Haaretz, it operates over the skies of Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and other regions. The system uses computer programs to identify targets in video imagery, classify them, map positions, and share information with the Zionist regime’s military forces in real time.
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