Yaalon Denies Hizbullah has Yakhont Rockets, Says Israel to Act when Red Line is Crossed

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon has said Hizbullah did not possess some components of supersonic Yakhont rockets as claimed by U.S. officials.

Yaalon told reporters on Tuesday that as far as Israel knew, Hizbullah did not possess the weapon. 

During a tour to the Israeli army's Central Command, he was asked whether Israel’s “red line” had been crossed and if Yakhont missiles had “reached Hizbullah.”

Yaalon said: “Our red line in terms of what’s going on in Syria is very clear. One of them is to not allow the transfer of sophisticated and advanced weapons from Syria to Lebanon. When that happens, we know what to do and will act accordingly.”

The Wall Street Journal has quoted U.S. officials as saying that Hizbullah is smuggling advanced guided-missile systems into Lebanon from Syria piece by piece.

Some components of a powerful anti-ship missile system have already been moved to Lebanon within the past year, including supersonic Yakhont rockets, according to previously undisclosed intelligence.

Yet “to make it lethal, a system needs to be complete," said a senior defense official.

As many as 12 anti-ship guided-missile systems may now be in Hizbullah's possession inside Syria, according to U.S. officials briefed on the intelligence.