Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah saw a major exchange of fire on Sunday, raising concerns over another front of conflict opening up in the Middle East.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
A view shows smoke on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, after Israel said it had noted armed group Hezbollah preparing to attack Israel and had carried out pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, as seen from Tyre, southern Lebanon.
A view shows smoke on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, after Israel said it had noted armed group Hezbollah preparing to attack Israel and had carried out pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, as seen from Tyre, southern Lebanon August 25, 2024.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah exchanged fire in the early hours of Sunday (August 25), in one of the largest cross-border attacks in months.
Ever since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the Iran-backed Hezbollah has pledged allegiance to the Palestinian cause and opposed Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza.
On Sunday, the group reportedly launched hundreds of rockets and drones, while Israel said it sent 100 jets to thwart a bigger attack. Hezbollah’s offensive was in retaliation for Israel assassinating Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in July this year.
While Hezbollah reported three casualties, Israel said it had none. According to a Reuters report, Hezbollah indicated it was not planning further strikes. Israel’s Foreign Minister also said the country did not seek a full-scale war. Fears of another front of the Israeli-Hamas conflict opening up have loomed in the region for months now.
On Sunday, Hezbollah deployed a wide range of weapons, from Katyusha rockets to anti-tank missiles. Here is what we know about the group and its arsenal.
What is Hezbollah?
Hezbollah translates to “Party of God”. The think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has previously described it as “The world’s most heavily armed non-state actor, with a large and diverse stockpile of unguided artillery rockets, as well as ballistic, antiair, antitank, and antiship missiles.”
In modern history, Lebanon was under a French mandate until 1943. After it ended, important official posts, such as Prime Minister and President of the country, were reserved for people of particular religious denominations given the diversity within the population.
Hezbollah originated during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), which was a result of “long-simmering discontent over the large, armed Palestinian presence in the country”, according to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
Lebanon borders Israel to its north. Amid its internal ethnic and religious divisions, the arrival of Palestinian refugees from 1948 onwards — after the creation of Israel as a state for Jewish people that year — led to added tensions. Israeli forces invaded southern Lebanon in 1978 and again in 1982 to expel Palestinian guerrilla fighters.
Hezbollah was formed around this time, inspired by the formation of a theocratic Islamic government in Iran in 1979. Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also provided funding to the group.
What are Hezbollah’s aims?
It opposes Israel and Western influence in the Middle East. Hezbollah’s positioning also reflects West Asia’s two major powers and their rivalry – the Sunni Muslim-dominated Saudi Arabia and the majority Shia Muslim-dominated Iran. The US, which is a staunch ally of Israel and Saudi Arabia, estimates that Iran supplies hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Hezbollah and that it has thousands of fighters.
Hezbollah became more visible in Lebanese politics in the mid-2000s and currently holds 13 of the 128 seats in the country’s Parliament. Along with its allies, it forms the ruling government. But in recent years, many in Lebanon have protested against it amid worsening poverty, unemployment and government debt.
What do we know about Hezbollah’s arsenal?
Hezbollah has kept under wraps the exact nature of its capabilities over the years. Much of what is known comes from statements by the group and its leader, Hasan Nasrallah, according to The Washington Post. He has said his fighters have only used “a portion of our weapons” in their attacks over the last few months.
According to CSIS, “The party’s arsenal is comprised primarily of small, man-portable, unguided artillery rockets. Although these devices lack precision, their sheer number makes them effective weapons of terror.” Israeli estimates peg the number at 15,000 rockets and missiles on the eve of the 2006 war fought between Israel and Hezbollah. “Hezbollah has since expanded its rocket force, today estimated at 130,000 rounds,” it added.
Nasrallah has also said the biggest change in Hezbollah’s arsenal since 2006 has been the expansion of its precision guidance systems.
The US Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) World Factbook says Hezbollah was estimated in 2022 to have up to 45,000 fighters, roughly 20,000 of them full-time.
Hezbollah said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets on Sunday. Made by the Soviet Union originally, the Katyushas can travel up to 25 miles (around 40km).
The group also has rockets of Iranian models, such as Raad (Arabic for Thunder), Fajr (Dawn) and Zilzal (Earthquake) rockets, which have a more powerful payload and longer range than Katyushas. According to a CNN report, Zilzal-1 has a 125-60km range, the longest among all rockets and missiles.
Iranian-made Falaq 2 rockets can carry a bigger warhead than the previously used Falaq 1 and have a range of around 10 to 11 km.
Further, Hezbollah has used the Russian-made anti-tank Kornet missiles, as well as an Iranian-made guided missile known as “al-Mas”.
Additionally, the group has Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), such as the Iran-made Shahed-129 has a 2,000km range.
