Israeli Army Considers Using Dogs to Detect Hezbollah Drones

Security sources in Tel Aviv revealed that the Israeli army’s military dog unit, "Yekhal," plans to employ dogs for early detection of drones. This initiative is inspired by the Indian army’s experience in monitoring and tracking Pakistani drones along their shared border, according to Israel's Channel Seven.

The idea, which has entered an active study phase within the Ministry of Defense, coincides with the Israeli army’s admission of failure to effectively counter the explosive drones launched by Hezbollah targeting Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.

According to the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli army has launched a comprehensive investigation to understand how Hezbollah’s drones manage to operate at night and strike Israeli targets with high precision.

The Hebrew channel posed a question regarding the potential to resolve the threat posed by explosive drones by relying on dogs, which are primarily trained for tracking missing persons and conducting rescue operations.

Mike Ben Yaakov, commander of the Israeli army’s dog unit, framed the answer objectively, noting that he and the military personnel at the Ministry of Defense are working to benefit from global experience aimed at neutralizing the drone threat.

He told the channel, "In India, there is already discussion about dogs capable of providing early warning about drones approaching from the border with Pakistan."

Ben Yaakov pointed out that the committee studying the use of dogs for surveillance tasks believes that "this type of animal has a high ability to hear specific sounds that humans cannot detect, thereby enabling early warning."

He explained that the Israeli army is currently determining the distances at which dogs can hear drone noises, confirming that this is part of intensive training focused on dogs with superior hearing abilities rather than olfactory skills, as he described.

Regarding how dogs might signal an imminent threat, Ben Yaakov indicated that "the dogs’ reactions could include barking, sitting, or other movements."

The military official concluded by stating that the Israeli army has already received assistance from canine experts worldwide, including India, which benefited from this experience in countering Pakistani drones, according to his remarks to the Hebrew channel.