Hezbollah Rebuilds Drone Capacity With New Iranian Funding

Hezbollah has spent the last three months rearming itself following a fresh injection of cash from Iran, according to Lebanese security personnel briefed on the group's activities.

Two Lebanese security sources told Reuters that the militant organization received tens of millions of dollars in new funding to boost its military capabilities. This latest transfer comes in addition to approximately $200 million that the group previously received from Tehran, a sum reported by Reuters earlier this month.

The group, which was founded by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1982, has suffered severe blows during two wars with Israel since 2024. Thousands of fighters and many senior leaders were killed, and a large portion of its arsenal was destroyed in those conflicts.

Despite these losses, the group remains committed to attacking Israel. It has used the lull in hostilities since June to focus on procuring explosives and producing drones capable of flying into the security zone currently occupied by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

Security officials familiar with the group's operations said Hezbollah is working to restore command-and-control structures that broke down during key battles. One of the sources and another individual close to the group confirmed the financial support from Iran. A separate source and three other security officials noted that the restoration of these command systems is a priority.

Hezbollah’s media office rejected the suggestion that its command-and-control systems had been broken down. Israel's military declined to comment on the reports, while Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.

In Washington, a US State Department spokesman said the administration would continue to strangle Hezbollah's finances through sanctions and other measures. A US Treasury spokesperson added that Iran is running out of money and ways to move that money.

The rearmament effort occurs amid continued tensions in the Middle East, a conflict ignited by the US-Israeli war with Iran that began in February. Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 in support of Iran, triggering an Israeli response that led to the evacuation of many individuals, mostly from Hezbollah's Shi'ite constituency, out of southern Lebanon.

Hostilities largely abated over the summer after an interim Iran-US deal included a ceasefire in Lebanon and Washington-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel. Full-scale hostilities have not resumed despite the collapse of the US-Iranian deal, though Israel continues strikes on targets in the south. Hezbollah is on alert for a potential US-Iran escalation that could reignite the Lebanon front.

Sources told Reuters that the group has not yet fully prepared its stockpiles or fighting force. This month, Hezbollah acknowledged that explosives seized by Lebanese authorities belonged to it and were intended for use against Israel. A Hezbollah official and a Lebanese security source said those explosives were specifically for its drone units.

The group also needs to repair capabilities lost on key fronts, including the town of Bint Jbeil and the Ali al-Taher ridge. Officials said Hezbollah's tactic of operating in small units and rationing anti-tank rockets left some units isolated and struggling against Israeli remotely operated systems, including weaponized drones and armed remote-controlled vehicles. The Israeli military stated it uses these systems to monitor southern Lebanon and reduce threat exposure to troops.

Hezbollah has not explicitly stated whether it will join fresh hostilities, but its media office said it was wary of giving Israeli leaders any justification to escalate efforts against the group.