Hezbollah launched tons of of rockets and drones at Israel early on Sunday, as Israel’s army mentioned it struck Lebanon with round 100 jets to thwart a much bigger assault, in one of many largest clashes in additional than 10 months of border warfare.
Missiles had been seen curling up by the daybreak sky, darkish vapour trails behind them, as an air raid siren sounded in Israel and a distant blast lit the horizon, whereas smoke rose over homes in Khiam in southern Lebanon.
The extent of injury was not instantly clear and Hezbollah indicated it was not planning additional strikes but, whereas Israel’s International Minister mentioned the nation didn’t search a full-scale struggle.
Any main escalation within the combating, which started in parallel with the struggle in Gaza, dangers morphing right into a regional conflagration drawing in Hezbollah’s backer Iran and Israel’s predominant ally the USA.
What weapons does Lebanon’s Hezbollah have?
ARSENAL OVERVIEW
The Iran-backed group possesses upwards of 150,000 missiles and rockets, in line with the World Factbook of the U.S. Central Intelligence Company.
Hezbollah says it has rockets that may hit all areas of Israel. Many are unguided, nevertheless it additionally has precision missiles, drones and anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles.
Hezbollah’s predominant supporter and weapons provider is Iran. Lots of its weapons are Iranian, Russian or Chinese language fashions.
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah mentioned in 2021 the group had 100,000 fighters. The CIA World Factbook says it was estimated in 2022 to have as much as 45,000 fighters, roughly 20,000 of them full-time.
LAND-ATTACK ROCKETS AND MISSILES
Unguided rockets comprised the majority of Hezbollah’s missile arsenal within the final struggle with Israel in 2006, when the group fired about 4,000 into Israel – principally Katyusha-style missiles with a variety of 30 km (19 miles).
Nasrallah has mentioned the most important change in Hezbollah’s arsenal since 2006 has been the enlargement of its precision steerage methods and that the group has the flexibility to retrofit rockets with steerage methods inside Lebanon.
Hezbollah has Iranian fashions, similar to Raad (Arabic for Thunder), Fajr (Daybreak) and Zilzal (Earthquake) rockets, which have a extra highly effective payload and longer vary than Katyushas.
Rockets fired by Hezbollah at Israel in the course of the Gaza battle since October have included Katyushas and Burkan (Volcano) missiles with an explosive payload of 300-500 kg.
Iranian-made Falaq 2 rockets, used for the primary time in June, can carry a much bigger warhead than the beforehand used Falaq 1.
ANTI-TANK MISSILES
Hezbollah used guided anti-tank missiles extensively within the 2006 struggle and has deployed them once more, together with the Russian-made Kornet.
It has additionally used an Iranian-made guided missile often known as “al-Mas”, in line with a report by the pro-Iran Arabic broadcaster al-Mayadeen. The al-Mas can hit targets past the road of sight following an arched trajectory, enabling it to strike from above, a report by Israel’s Alma Analysis and Schooling Middle mentioned.
The missile is a part of a household of weapons made by Iran by reverse engineering primarily based on the Israeli Spike missile household, the report mentioned.
ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES
Hezbollah has downed Israeli drones a number of occasions throughout this battle utilizing surface-to-air missiles, hitting Israeli Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 drones. Although Hezbollah was lengthy believed to own anti-aircraft missiles, these assaults have marked the primary time the group had used this functionality.
In one other first, Hezbollah has mentioned it fired at Israeli warplanes, forcing them to go away Lebanese airspace, with out saying what kind of weapon it used. It has not hit any.
DRONES
Hezbollah has mounted quite a few assaults with one-way explosive drones and has mentioned it’s utilizing drones that drop bombs and return to Lebanon.
In some assaults, drones have been despatched to distract Israeli air defences whereas others had been flown at targets.
Hezbollah’s arsenal consists of the domestically assembled Ayoub and Mersad fashions, which analysts say are low-cost and comparatively simple to supply.
ANTI-SHIP MISSILES
Hezbollah first proved it had anti-ship missiles in 2006, when it hit an Israeli warship 16 km (10 miles) off the coast, killing 4 Israeli personnel and damaging the vessel.
For the reason that 2006 struggle, Hezbollah has acquired the Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship missile with a variety of 300 km (186 miles), sources conversant in its arsenal say. Hezbollah has not confirmed it has the weapon.
Sunday’s strikes got here as negotiators had been assembly in Cairo in a last-ditch effort to conclude a halt to the combating in Gaza.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group mentioned it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets in direction of Israel and hit 11 army targets in what it known as the primary part of its retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander, final month.
Israel’s army mentioned it had foiled a a lot bigger assault with pre-emptive airstrikes after assessing that Hezbollah was getting ready to launch the barrage, utilizing 100 jets to strike greater than 40 Hezbollah launch websites in southern Lebanon.
The strikes destroyed hundreds of launcher barrels, aimed principally at northern Israel but additionally focusing on some central areas, Israel’s army mentioned.
Hezbollah dismissed Israel’s assertion that the group’s assault had been foiled with pre-emptive strikes, saying it had been capable of launch its drones as deliberate and that the remainder of its response to Shukr’s killing would take “a while”.
FLIGHTS BRIEFLY SUSPENDED
Israel’s cupboard met at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT). Protection Minister Yoav Gallant declared a state of emergency and International Minister Israel Katz mentioned Israel would reply to developments on the bottom however didn’t search a full-scale struggle.
Flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv had been suspended for round 90 minutes.
“We’re decided to do the whole lot potential to defend our nation, to return the residents of the north safely to their houses and to proceed to uphold a easy rule: Whoever harms us – we hurt him,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned in an announcement.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati met cupboard ministers at a session of the nationwide emergency committee. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will communicate on tv afterward Sunday, the group mentioned.
The United Nations peacekeeping pressure in Lebanon and the U.N.’s particular coordinator’s workplace within the nation known as on all sides to stop fireplace, calling the developments in a single day “worrying”.
Expectations of an escalation had risen since a missile strike within the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights final month killed 12 children and the Israeli army assassinated Shukr in Beirut in response.
WARNING SIRENS
In northern Israel, warning sirens sounded and a number of explosions had been heard round a number of areas as Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defence system shot down rockets coming from southern Lebanon. Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service mentioned it was on excessive alert all around the nation.
The Israeli army issued civil defence directions from central Israel to the north, limiting gatherings however authorising individuals to go to work so long as they had been capable of attain air raid shelters shortly. There have been no casualties instantly reported in Israel, in line with the ambulance service.
Israeli media mentioned the barrage hitting northern areas had broken some homes and a rooster coop.
A safety supply in Lebanon mentioned not less than 40 Israeli strikes had hit numerous cities within the nation’s south in one of many densest bombardments since hostilities started in October.
One of many strikes in town of Khiam killed one fighter from the Hezbollah-allied Shi’ite group Amal, two safety sources informed Reuters. Amal later introduced his dying.
A resident of the southern Lebanese city of Zibqeen, some 7 km (4 miles) from the border, informed Reuters it was the primary time he had woke up “to the sound of planes and the loud explosions of rockets – even earlier than the daybreak prayer. It felt just like the apocalypse.”
Israel’s Military Radio, citing defence officers, mentioned the army assessed that the Hezbollah barrage on northern Israel was “improvised” after the pre-emptive strike by Israeli jets on the Hezbollah launch websites.
REGIONAL CONFLICT RISK
President Joe Biden was following occasions intently, the White Home mentioned.
“At his path, senior U.S. officers have been speaking repeatedly with their Israeli counterparts. We are going to preserve supporting Israel’s proper to defend itself, and we are going to preserve working for regional stability,” mentioned Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson Sean Savett.
Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel instantly after the Oct. 7 assaults by Hamas gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fireplace always ever since, whereas avoiding a serious escalation as struggle rages in Gaza to the south.
That precarious steadiness appeared to shift after the strike within the Golan Heights, for which Hezbollah denied accountability, and the next assassination of Shukr, considered one of Hezbollah’s most senior army commanders.
Shukr’s dying in an air strike was shortly adopted by the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which led to vows of reprisal towards Israel by Iran.
