Hezbollah downs Israeli spy drones over Lebanon

Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, claimed responsibility on Saturday for shooting down two Israeli spy drones flying over Lebanese airspace.

The downing of the advanced Hermes 900 and Hermes 450 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was captured in footage released by Hezbollah, showcasing the group’s military capabilities.

The interception is believed to have been executed using the Iranian-made “358” loitering surface-to-air missile. The “358” missile, which has a relatively low flight speed, is designed to intercept unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters, making it a suitable weapon for targeting drones in flight.

The origins of the “358” missile trace back to 2019 when some of these missiles were seized by the U.S. Navy during operations aimed at disrupting the flow of weapons to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Since then, additional instances of these missiles have been discovered in arms shipments destined for Yemen, intercepted by various military forces.

The “358” missile, with an estimated body length of up to 3 meters, can be launched from various types of launch platforms and utilizes infrared guidance for targeting. Its distinctive feature lies in its unconventional launch method, where it is essentially fired in a “shoot and loiter” manner. Once launched, the missile maneuvers in a predefined area, executing a looping flight pattern until it exhausts its fuel or locks onto a target for engagement.