In the past few months explosive drones have been implicated in the deaths of some 20 IDF soldiers, the disabling of heavy equipment such as D9 bulldozers, and attacks in northern Israeli communities including Kiryat Shmona and Shomera.
By Hezy Laing
A large fire erupted a few days ago inside a Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications storage facility in Dekwaneh, just east of Beirut.
The site, operated by the state provider Ogero, sent thick columns of dark smoke drifting over the capital as emergency crews struggled to contain the flames.
Units from the Lebanese Civil Defense, supported by the Lebanese Army Air Force, were dispatched to battle the fire.
They managed to isolate the blaze and stop it from spreading to nearby structures. Authorities reported no casualties.
The warehouse was tied to a major modernization effort intended to merge the Karantina and Sawwar data centers into a single National Data Center meant to reinforce Lebanon’s digital backbone.
The cause of the fire remains unclear. Heavy smoke reduced visibility across parts of Beirut and affected surrounding neighborhoods.
Fiber‑optic cables serve not only Lebanon’s civilian communications sector but also function as guidance lines for fiber‑controlled drones — small unmanned aircraft that Hezbollah has repeatedly used in attacks against Israelis.
While no one has been blamed for arson, Israel would view the fire at a Lebanese fiber‑optic depot favorably, a major disruption to Hezbollah’s drone infrastructure without direct confrontation.
If the Mossad was involved, it likely relied on indirect influence, exploiting existing vulnerabilities, local tensions, or infrastructure weaknesses rather than overt action.
Intelligence services sometimes aim to create plausible deniability, allowing events to appear accidental or internal.
The goal would have been to delay Hezbollah’s drone capabilities while avoiding escalation, though no public evidence links Mossad to the incident.
Global supplies of fiber optics are currently strained due to battlefield consumption in Ukraine and the growing military demand for these cables worldwide.
The destruction of Lebanon’s fiber‑optic inventory could place Hezbollah’s guided‑drone operations under serious pressure.
Lebanese officials have previously debated restricting fiber‑optic imports because the group has historically diverted civilian stockpiles for military use.
After the sharp escalation in early March, Hezbollah increasingly relied on inexpensive, locally assembled FPV drones costing roughly $300–$500 each.
This shift became necessary after the collapse of the Assad regime in late 2024 disrupted the group’s traditional Iranian supply routes through Syria.
Since these drones cannot be identified by their radio signals and stopped by regular jamming methods, IDF has been hard pressed to find a way to stop them.
In the past few months they have been implicated in the deaths of some 20 Israeli soldiers, the disabling of heavy equipment such as D9 bulldozers, and attacks in northern communities including Kiryat Shmona and Shomera.
