Israeli drones use crying children, sirens to spread fear in south Lebanon: Residents

Residents and activists in southern Lebanon say Israeli drones are broadcasting recorded sounds of crying children, distressed women and emergency sirens in an effort to spread fear and lure civilians into the open.

They say Israeli quadcopters have become a constant presence in the skies, carrying out surveillance operations while transmitting prerecorded audio, often at night.

Witnesses report repeated broadcasts of children screaming, women calling for help, ambulance sirens and other distress signals.

“This is not the first time these drones have flown over us and broadcast different sounds,” Hashem, a paramedic from the village of Habboush, told the Middle East Eye. 

“Yesterday, it was the sound of children screaming and pleading for help. Before that, they broadcast the sound of an ambulance. Another time it was the Quran. Another time, it was the voice of a woman calling for help. We are living through this almost every day,” he said.

The practice, they say, has deepened fear and uncertainty, turning familiar sounds into tools of intimidation in communities already affected by ongoing Israeli attacks.

Human rights groups and activists have condemned the broadcasts as a form of psychological warfare against civilians living under the threat of displacement and Israeli airstrikes.

Similar instances have been recorded in Gaza, where journalists and residents say drones have broadcast the sounds of crying children, screaming women and distress calls.

Since the start of the genocide, which has killed nearly 73,000 people in Gaza, doctors and rights groups have reported widespread use of quadcopters for surveillance, crowd control and intimidation.

Some believe the broadcasts are intended to identify movement in villages that have largely been emptied by the Israeli aggression.

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In Lebanon, Tarek Mazaani, founder of the Gathering of the People of the Southern Border Towns, said Israeli drones have also broadcast warning messages naming specific individuals. He recalled an incident in October 2025 in which drones called on residents to boycott him over his ties to Hezbollah.

“When the Israeli army did that, I had to leave the house out of concern for the lives of the residents and neighbors in the residential complex where I was staying,” Mazaani said.

According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, since March 2, 2026, when Israel launched its latest aggression in Lebanon, at least 3,637 people have been killed and 11,188 wounded.

More than one million people, around one-fifth of the population, have been displaced.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned that the humanitarian situation is worsening, with 94% of displaced people struggling to meet basic needs.

Its Lebanon country director, Rick Bartoldus, said many returning residents are finding their homes or entire villages destroyed.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it remains committed to defending Lebanon against Israeli occupation, despite pressure from the United States and Israel on the Lebanese government to disarm the resistance group.

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