It launched hundreds of rockets and drones against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander in Beirut last month, the Iranian-backed movement said. The Israeli military said it had thwarted a much larger attack with pre-emptive strikes.
Here are some facts about Hezbollah’s weapons:
ARSENAL OVERVIEW
The Iran-backed group possesses upwards of 150,000 missiles and rockets, according to the World Factbook of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.
Hezbollah says it has rockets that can hit all areas of Israel. Many are unguided, but it also has precision missiles, drones and anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles.
Hezbollah’s main supporter and weapons supplier is Iran. Many of its weapons are Iranian, Russian or Chinese models.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in 2021 the group had 100,000 fighters. The CIA World Factbook says it was estimated in 2022 to have up to 45,000 fighters, roughly 20,000 of them full-time.
LAND-ATTACK ROCKETS AND MISSILES
Unguided rockets comprised the bulk of Hezbollah’s missile arsenal in the last war with Israel in 2006, when the group fired about 4,000 into Israel – mostly Katyusha-style missiles with a range of 30 km (19 miles).
Nasrallah has said the biggest change in Hezbollah’s arsenal since 2006 has been the expansion of its precision guidance systems and that the group has the ability to retrofit rockets with guidance systems within Lebanon.
Hezbollah has 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.
Rockets fired by Hezbollah at Israel during the Gaza conflict 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 first time in June, can carry a bigger warhead than the previously used Falaq 1.
ANTI-TANK MISSILES
Hezbollah used guided anti-tank missiles extensively in the 2006 war and has deployed them again, including the Russian-made Kornet.
It has also used an Iranian-made guided missile known as “al-Mas”, according to a report by the pro-Iran Arabic broadcaster al-Mayadeen. The al-Mas can hit targets beyond the line of sight following an arched trajectory, enabling it to strike from above, a report by Israel’s Alma Research and Education Center said.
The missile is part of a family of weapons made by Iran through reverse engineering based on the Israeli Spike missile family, the report said.
ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES
Hezbollah has downed Israeli drones several times during this conflict using surface-to-air missiles, hitting Israeli Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 drones. Though Hezbollah was long believed to possess anti-aircraft missiles, these attacks have marked the first time the group had used this capability.
In another first, Hezbollah has said it fired at Israeli warplanes, forcing them to leave Lebanese airspace, without saying what type of weapon it used. It has not hit any.
DRONES
Hezbollah has mounted numerous attacks with one-way explosive drones and has said it is using drones that drop bombs and return to Lebanon.
In some attacks, drones have been sent to distract Israeli air defences while others were flown at targets.
Hezbollah’s arsenal includes the locally assembled Ayoub and Mersad models, which analysts say are cheap and relatively easy to produce.
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 four Israeli personnel and damaging the vessel.
Since the 2006 war, Hezbollah has acquired the Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship missile with a range of 300 km (186 miles), sources familiar with its arsenal say. Hezbollah has not confirmed it has the weapon.
