Hezbollah intends maritime siege in next war

by Daniel Siryoti and Israel Hayom Staff

According to Lebanese news reports, the terrorist group plans to target Israeli and foreign vessels in Israeli territorial waters with advanced Russian-made Yakhont sea-to-sea missiles • Hezbollah official: Our weapons "alter the strategic balance."

Hezbollah claims to have the advanced Russian-made Yakhont cruise missiles [Archive] | Photo credit: AP

Hezbollah has a stock of advanced sea-to-sea missiles with which it intends to impose a maritime siege on Israel if the two sides enter another war, Lebanese media outlets reported on Monday.

According to the reports, Hezbollah apparently has an arsenal of sophisticated Russian-made Yakhont sea-to-sea missiles, which were recently transferred from Russia to Syria as part of an arms deal between the two countries. Moscow has also allegedly transferred more advanced S-300 anti-aircraft batteries to Syria. It is possible that some of these have been transferred to Hezbollah. 

In the case of a war with Israel, the report said, Hezbollah intends to target Israeli and foreign vessels inside Israel's territorial waters. 

One senior Hezbollah official said, "The organization has modern long-range missiles and advanced weapons systems that alter strategic balance between Israel and Hezbollah."

Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has also reportedly confirmed that his Shiite terrorist organization has advanced long-range land-to-land missiles capable of hitting any point in Israel, including strategic facilities and infrastructure. 

Two weeks ago, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander said hundreds of missiles with ranges of 250 to 350 kilometers (160 to 220 miles) ranges, capable of hitting the city of Dimona in southern Israel, had been provided to Hezbollah.

Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force Brig. Gen. Seyed Majid Moussavi said the missiles, called Fateh missiles, fly at speeds of 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) per hour and carry 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) warheads.

"Our strategic guiding principle is the appropriate arming of Hezbollah and Hamas with advanced, modern weapons in order to allow the resistance groups to deal with the bloodthirsty Zionist regime," Moussavi said. "The missiles that Iran most recently gave to Hezbollah will allow the organization to reach every point in Israel, including the most guarded facilities of the Zionist occupation forces." 

In efforts to contend with the various battlefield threats posed by Hezbollah, Israel and India last month successfully tested the jointly developed Barak-8 aerial defense system.

The Barak-8 system uses medium range missiles designed to intercept airborne threats, including enemy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, anti-ship missiles and cruise missiles from land or sea.

Daniel Siryoti and Israel Hayom Staff

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=21863

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