Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a stark warning about the growing threat posed by armed drones, saying even relatively small unmanned aircraft can become highly lethal when deployed in swarms. In a video released Sunday, Netanyahu compared the potential danger of an armed drone to that of an F-35, emphasizing that drones can be highly precise and difficult to detect. He said Israel has been developing countermeasures for years but described the challenge as a global security problem.

Netanyahu pointed to recent conflicts in Ukraine, Lebanon and Iran as examples of how drone warfare has evolved and warned that the technology is now being brought into the Gaza arena. His comments come as Israeli officials focus increasingly on preventing drone launches toward communities near the Gaza border. Defense Minister Israel Katz has separately instructed the IDF to take measures against launches from Gaza, including targeting those responsible and infrastructure used to carry them out.

The Israeli leader said he had directed the defense establishment and IDF to take comprehensive action against what he called a deadly weapon. That includes striking the drones themselves, targeting their operators and attacking launch locations, according to Netanyahu. The directive signals that Israel views armed drone attacks as a serious operational threat rather than a secondary battlefield nuisance.

The warning reflects a broader transformation in modern warfare, where relatively inexpensive unmanned systems can create significant battlefield challenges for conventional forces. Swarms can complicate detection and interception by presenting multiple targets simultaneously, while drones can be adapted to carry explosives or conduct other military missions. Israel says it is among the countries most advanced in developing defenses against the threat, but Netanyahu acknowledged that no country can treat the problem as exclusively its own.

The immediate concern for Israel is whether armed drones will become a recurring feature of attacks from Gaza and whether security forces can detect and neutralize them before they reach populated areas. Netanyahu's unusually blunt comparison to an F-35 underscores how seriously Israeli officials view the potential danger of coordinated drone attacks. As drone technology becomes more capable and difficult to detect, the contest for control of low-altitude airspace is becoming an increasingly important part of modern warfare.