Lebanese Hezbollah weapons and missiles… their types, range, and uses | Encyclopedia

He owns Hizb allah A huge weapons arsenal whose exact size is not known, but his armed activity, statements, and some research indicate that this arsenal is constantly developing and expanding, to the point that reports by American research centers described it as “the largest armed group in the world.” The party announced several times that it possesses several advanced weapons and missiles capable of reaching deep into Israel.

Within what is known as the “Axis of Resistance,” Hezbollah is considered the most experienced, organized, and armed movement, and it has contributed by transferring its expertise to the rest of the groups that make up this “Axis.”

The “Axis of Resistance” is an informal military alliance managed by Iran, and includes groups from Palestine and Syria (armed movements loyal to the Syrian regime) and Iraq (Shiite militias) with Hezbollah in Lebanon andHouthi group In Yemen, its principle is based on an alliance against the West, Israel and their allies.

Source of strength

Hezbollah receives money and weapons mainly from Iran, andThe July 2006 war that the party fought with Israel was considered the point that moved the party’s arsenal to a very advanced level. At that time, it only had 15,000 missiles, and this number multiplied 10 times. It also strengthened its participation alongside the Syrian regime in the confrontation. Syrian Revolution In 2013, his weapons were “quantitative and qualitative.”

The Middle East affairs analyst at the Wilson Joe Macron Center says that Hezbollah has developed tremendously, until its missile arsenal has become huge and diverse and can “rain Israel with thousands of missiles.” Some estimates in 2021 indicate that the party’s missiles exceeded 130,000, and it is relied upon to… Use the “Swarm Attack” technique.

Human power

The Secretary General of Hezbollah announced Hassan Nasrallah In 2021, his party has 100,000 trained and armed fighters, although a number of experts suggest that the number is exaggerated. The Times newspaper said that if the number was correct, it would mean that the forces the party possessed were more than the Lebanese Army and the British Army.

The newspaper attributed to analysts that the number (100,000 fighters) – which Nasrallah announced during his violent attack on the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea – likely includes reserve soldiers and others who have no experience in combat and have not received training courses.

The power of “Ridwan”

In statements to Agence France-Presse, Dina Araqji, a researcher from the Control Risks Center, referred to the “Radwan” force, which is considered Hezbollah’s elite forces in terms of readiness, quality of weapons, and high combat ability.

The “Radwan Division” is a unit trained to fight in harsh conditions and rugged areas, so even the tests to join it are difficult, long and complex. Its trainers receive their training in Lebanon and abroad, and their number is estimated at 2,500 fighters, and it was said that some of them are stationed in Aleppo With the intention of gaining field experience in fighting opposition factions alongside regime forces Bashar al-Assad.

Testing processes to join the unit focus initially on measuring the level of loyalty of the fighter wishing to join Hezbollah, followed by military and physical testing to determine the extent of endurance.

Tunnels

The party uses tunnels and hideouts in its military work, as its members move through them, some of which cross borders. In 2018, Israel announced the destruction of cross-border tunnels that it accused the party of digging. Araqji says that tunnels are an old strategy followed by Hezbollah, suggesting that their network is “extensive.”

Weapons

Arakji says, “Since the 2006 war, Hezbollah has greatly expanded its arsenal quantitatively and qualitatively,” noting that it possessed 15,000 missiles at the time, but estimates show that “the number has multiplied about ten times” in 2023, and the party now possesses “more advanced” weapons, including Precision missiles.

• Precision missiles

Hezbollah announced in September 2018 that it possesses precision missiles that enable it to “hit targets with greater accuracy and a smaller margin of error,” and Nasrallah later said that his party needs “a few precise missiles” to destroy a list of targets, including civilian and military airports, air force bases, and power plants. Electricity and water stations, along with a group of infrastructure and oil refineries, the most important of which is the Dimona reactor.

• Guided missiles

In August 2023, Hezbollah announced a dual guided missile platform called “God’s Revenge,” which entered service in 2015. It is an anti-armor weapons system consisting of two launch platforms designated for firing “Cornet” missiles. The system has the ability to accurately hit targets and destroy them.

Hezbollah used its guided missiles in most of its operations against Israeli border sites at the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, which was launched by the resistance in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

• Unguided missiles

Unguided surface-to-surface missiles formed the bulk of Hezbollah’s arsenal during the 2006 war, and they gradually developed since then. Among them were: Grad missiles.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued a report in 2018 in which it indicated that the party possesses different types of “Katyushya” missiles, with a range of between 4 and 40 kilometers, “Fajr 3” and “Fajr 5”, which have a range of between 43 and 75 kilometers, and Raad missiles, with a range of between 60 and 70 kilometers.

Other types of surface-to-surface missiles possessed by Hezbollah include:

1. “Fajr-1” caliber 107 mm.
2. “Falq-1”. Caliber 240 mm.
3. “Falaq – 2”. Caliber 333 mm.
4. “Shaheen-1” caliber 333 mm.
5. “Type-81” caliber 122 mm.
6. “Khaybar-1” caliber 302 mm.
7. “Earthquake – 1/2”, 610 mm.
8. “Fatih-110” is an improved version of “Zelzal-2”.
9. “Scud – B/C/D” caliber 880 mm.

• Anti-aircraft missiles

The party’s anti-aircraft missiles appeared while it threatened Israeli marches in 2019 through a video it published showing a surface-to-air weapon carried on the shoulder.

Hezbollah’s capabilities and missiles forced Israel to make its planes and helicopters take off at high altitudes, and among the weapons it uses are:

1. “Charter – 1/2” carried on the shoulder.
2. ZU-23 dual 23 mm machine gun.
3. “Strela-2” carried on the shoulder.
4. The Osa missile system is launched from a vehicle.
5. “Strela-3” carried on the shoulder.
6. “Igla – 1”. Portable on the shoulder.
7. The PAC M-2 portable system is launched from a vehicle.
8. The portable system “Pantsir S-1” is launched from a vehicle.

• Anti-ship missiles

Like its predecessor, the party announced its possession of anti-ship missiles in a video that showed the C-208 and C-704 missiles against battleships and military ships. It had used them in 2016 when it announced its targeting of an Israeli military battleship off the Lebanese shores.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies stated that Hezbollah possesses Russian “Yakhnot” (670 mm caliber) anti-ship missiles. One of the missiles it possesses in this field is the 360 ​​mm C-802.

• Anti-tank missiles

Hezbollah was able to destroy 50 Israeli tanks in the 2006 war within approximately 5 weeks, and anti-tank missiles contributed to the destruction of 20% of them. Among the anti-tank weapons that the party possesses are:

• “RPG-29” and it is called (Vampire).
• “Malikota” and it is called “Sager”.
• “Fagot” is called Spigot.
• “Concourse” and it is called “Spandrel”.
• “Métis – M.”
• “Cornet-E” is called “Spriggan”.

Drones

Hezbollah has drones of various sizes, including spy drones and others carrying ammunition, and it has announced the use of attack drones loaded with explosives more than once in response to the “Iron Swords” war launched by Israel on Gaza strip In October 2023, after the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle, launched by the Palestinian resistance against Israeli settlements and military bases near the Gaza Strip.