Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Defense NewsIDF reports 2,500 Hezbollah fighters killed since March, totaling 7,000–8,000 since October 2023, as concerns persist over drone attacks and northern border safety.Follow us on GoogleA flag of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah flutters above the rubble of a building that was hit in January by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Qannarit, on February 16, 2026.(photo credit: JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)ByYONAH JEREMY BOBMAY 28, 2026 18:22Updated: MAY 28, 2026 18:32Around one third of Hezbollah's pre-2023 forces have been killed by the IDF in recent years, IDF Chief Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said on Thursday.Deffrin was trying to confront criticism that the IDF and the government are not doing enough to protect northern Lebanon border village residents and IDF troops in southern Lebanon from Hezbollah FPV drone attacks.Deffrin mentioned that 2,500 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since this current war started in March, while in total, the IDF has said that 7,000-8,000 terrorists have been killed since October 8, 2023.Hezbollah had 30,000 fighters in 2023According to the chief spokesman, since Hezbollah had around 30,000 fighters in 2023, this would be closing in on one-third of the terror group's fighters.The statistics are somewhat problematic as other IDF officials have put Hezbollah's numbers at between 40,000-50,000.However, the IDF has also said that 10,000 Hezbollah fighters were wounded in the current war, and a very large number of terrorists were wounded during the 2023-2024 conflict, including thousands alone on September 17-18, 2024, when the Mossad sprang the exploding beepers and walkie-talkies on Hezbollah.Despite Defrin's reassurances, other senior IDF officials have told the Jerusalem Post that it could be months or longer before the IDF has a real answer for the relatively new FPV drone threat.Follow us on Google