September 25, 2024
The Iranian-backed anti-Israel and antisemitic Hezbollah terror army in Lebanon has amassed an arsenal of rockets, missiles, and mortars with more firepower than many NATO armies.
Hezbollah terrorists use this weapons cache to murder Israeli civilians and attack Israeli military bases and infrastructure that are critical to the defense of the Jewish state.
Here is what to know about Hezbollah and the threat it poses to Israel.
The latest:
Since the October 7, 2023, terror attack by Hamas on Israel that killed over 1,200 people, there have been near-daily attacks by Hezbollah, another Iranian-backed terror group based in Lebanon. Hezbollah has fired over 10,000 rockets at Israel, displacing more than 60,000 Israelis and turning northern Israel into a war zone.
On September 25, Hezbollah launched a surface-to-surface missile at Tel Aviv, triggering sirens in the city for the first time, but the IDF intercepted it using the David's Sling defense system, causing no reported injuries or damage. The missile strike was claimed by Hezbollah as retaliation for recent Israeli actions, including assassinations of its commanders and attacks on its ranks. Following the missile launch, the IDF targeted the Hezbollah launcher in southern Lebanon and continued airstrikes on over 100 Hezbollah positions in response to ongoing rocket barrages aimed at Israeli towns.
In a video message on September 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are working to "change the balance" in the north by dismantling Hezbollah’s missile arsenal. “We do not wait for a threat; we anticipate it,” Netanyahu said, as Israeli jets targeted southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley. He emphasized that Israel is eliminating senior Hezbollah officials, terrorists, and missile stockpiles, with more operations to follow. "Whoever tries to hurt us, we hurt them even more," he vowed, adding that Israel is systematically destroying thousands of missiles aimed at its cities and citizens.
What do we know about Hezbollah’s firepower?
Hezbollah’s arsenal of weapons poses a direct threat to Israeli cities, strategic sites, and civilian population centers and could be activated by the Iran-backed terror group at any time.
The arsenal is assessed to have up to 150,000 warheads (some estimates put it up to 200,000), which means that Hezbollah could fire hundreds, if not a few thousand, rockets per day at Israel.
A March report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that Hezbollah possesses 40,000 to 80,000 short-range unguided rockets with ranges of up to 20 kilometers, as well as 60,000 to 80,000 long-range rockets capable of reaching distances of up to 100 kilometers.
By comparison, the combined arsenal of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on the eve of the current war was estimated at between 15,000 to 20,000 rockets.
Hezbollah also is equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with an estimated arsenal of at least 2,000 UAVs.
Can Hezbollah target Israeli cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem?
Unlike Hamas, which largely possesses crude and inaccurate short-range rockets that can occasionally hit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Hezbollah has a wide range of advanced rockets and missiles that can hit anywhere in Israel, including major population centers like Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv, with deadly precise accuracy.
Hezbollah's ballistic missile arsenal is smaller but significantly more powerful, capable of reaching deeper into Israel. The group reportedly has up to 40,000 ballistic missiles with ranges between 160 and 300 kilometers, a limited number of Scud missiles capable of reaching 500 kilometers, and several hundred precision-guided Fateh-110 ballistic missiles, which can deliver a 500 kg warhead over a range of 300 kilometers.
This means Hezbollah can strike practically any point in Israel (the country is 470 kilometers in length), and has many more long-range projectiles than Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad ever did.
Hezbollah has also dispersed its rocket arsenal throughout Lebanon, making it a more difficult task for Israel to target rocket launching sites.
In southern Lebanon alone, Hezbollah has installed thousands of Grad rockets (dubbed Fajr) with ranges of 75 kilometers, Zelzal rockets (200 kilometer-range), and Fateh 110 rockets (300 kilometer-range). Many of them are dispersed across 200 Shi’ite-Lebanese villages in southern Lebanon. Other launchers are installed in Beirut, and some in the Beka’a Valley in eastern Lebanon.
How advanced are Hezbollah’s rockets?
Unlike Hamas, whose main arsenal of Qassam rockets does not have guidance systems and is fired indiscriminately at Israel, Hezbollah has a level of precise firepower possessed by only a few major military powers in the world.
Traditionally, only great powers could direct powerful warheads precisely at targets from long ranges, but today, thanks to Iranian support and technology, including navigation systems for guided missiles, this ability is also possessed by Hezbollah.
According to the Alma Center, Hezbollah possesses several hundred advanced conventional weapons (ACWs), including converted medium-range Fatah 110 missiles with precise guidance systems, allowing them to strike within a 10 square meter accuracy level, carrying a half-ton warhead.
Israeli authorities have expressed concerns about "suitcases" being smuggled into Lebanon that are filled with guidance kits that can transform unguided rockets into precision-guided missiles. These kits, which include the installation of navigation fins on rockets, significantly enhance the accuracy of already powerful rockets.
Hezbollah possesses cruise missiles as well as advanced coast-to-ship missiles, including the supersonic Russian-made Yakhont missiles, which can also be used to strike targets on land, and anti-aircraft missiles.
Where do Hezbollah’s rockets come from?
As of 2020, Iran provided $700 million per year to Hezbollah, according to the U.S. State Department, dwarfing the $100 million it gives to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad annually.
Iran supplies Hezbollah with rockets through various means, employing both direct and indirect methods to ensure the delivery of weaponry to the Lebanese terror group. Direct shipments of rockets occur via land, air, or sea routes, with efforts made to conceal the weapons within cargo shipments or through clandestine channels.
Additionally, Iran utilizes Syria as a transit point, taking advantage of the close ties between the Syrian government and Hezbollah, or employing proxy networks and intermediaries to facilitate the transfer of arms. Smuggling, both through established networks and across borders, is also believed to play a significant role in the supply chain.
For years, Israel has carried out airstrikes in Syria to disrupt this smuggling network and target the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces that are involved.
At the same time, Hezbollah's own domestic production capabilities, aided by IRGC expertise, enable the group to manufacture rockets locally.
Can Israel’s Iron Dome protect from Hezbollah rockets?
Yes, but only to an extent.
Because of Hezbollah’s large arsenal of rockets and ability to fire hundreds or even thousands per day, Israel's air defenses would have to focus on protecting important places like strategic and military sites.
This means Israeli civilians would have to use safe rooms and bomb shelters more often, and air defense systems Iron Dome wouldn't be as effective because they'd be overwhelmed and prioritizing strategic and military sites.
Even at Iron Dome’s current estimated interception rate of some 90%, this would mean 100 out of 1,000 rockets would get through.
Additionally, these barrages could deplete Israel’s Iron Dome interceptors and David’s Sling missiles within days of fighting, leaving Israel exposed to further rocket fire without a missile defense system.
According to former Israeli Air Force Air Defense Array Commander Brig. Gen. (ret.) Zvika Haimovich, even the ability to hit a small number of vital strategic targets in a war is sufficient to pose an intolerable threat. Examples include power plants, state symbols like the Knesset, air force bases, and commercial centers.
