Terror at Israel’s Borders: The Threat of Hezbollah
One of the most active and dangerous terror organizations in the world, Hezbollah maintains a vast network stretching across the globe. With financial and logistical help from Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has transformed over time into a military-like organization in Lebanon. Since the end of Israel’s most recent conflict with Hezbollah in 2006, this terror organization has focused on developing its technological capabilities, and it is now more powerful than many armies in the world.
02.03.15
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When the terror organization Hezbollah was first established in the early 80s, it began to use new guerilla tactics that had never been employed before, specifically suicide bombings.This tactic showed its devastating and lethal effect when two suicide bombers destroyed the multinational force headquarters and the United States Marines’ barracks in Beirut in 1983, killing 299 people, including 58 french paratroopers and 240 U.S marines.
Hezbollah has developed significantly since those days, and with the financial help of Iran and Syria’s logistical complicity, this terror organization has developed into a well-equipped and well-trained paramilitary force that is widely considered to be more powerful than the Lebanese Army.
Hezbollah terrorists during a parade in Beirut
By changing its mode of operation, Hezbollah has focused on developing itself into a capable military force with a high level of discipline, weapons and infrastructure. Since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, the terrorist organization has heavily emphasized the acquisition of sophisticated armaments.
Without a doubt, as a modern paramilitary force, Hezbollah has developed technological capabilities that make it a threat to Israel’s civilian population, and to the stability of the Middle East. Due to help from the Iranian regime, Hezbollah now posses more than 100,000 rockets of Syrian and Iranian origin, with a payload ranging from 60 kg to almost 1 ton of explosives.These rockets can reach any point on the map of Israel.
With the ongoing civil war in neighboring Syria, Lebanon’s border with Syria has allowed weapons to circulate almost freely between the two countries. Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, recently claimed “Israel can’t even imagine the size of our arms stockpile.”
Additional technology that Hezbollah has developed since the end of the Second Lebanon War is UAVs – unmanned aerial vehicle. Hezbollah is now in possession of numerous drones provided by Iran. These UAVs, built by the Iranian manufacturing company Ghods Industry, can carry out both reconnaissance missions and ground attacks. Hezbollah has actively used this technology on the Syrian battlefield in its fight to support Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Since its creation, Hezbollah has used all possible means to develop its offensive capabilities. From a small-scale terrorist group, to the Middle East’s most powerful paramilitary organization, Hezbollah is not only a regional threat, but a global one. It is backed by Iran and and Syria, who spare no effort in transferring missiles and rockets to their ally, Hezbollah. The terror organization is now in possession of very sophisticated weaponry which is aimed directly at Israeli civilians.
