Report: Hizbullah Moved Parts of Anti-Ship Missile System to Lebanon
U.S. officials believe Hizbullah is smuggling advanced guided-missile systems into Lebanon from Syria piece by piece, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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.
Other systems that could target Israeli aircraft, ships and bases are being stored in expanded weapons depots under Hizbullah control in Syria, the Journal quoted current and former U.S. officials as saying.
They said Iran's elite Quds Force has been directly overseeing the shipments to Hizbullah warehouses in Syria.
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.
Israel targeted those Russian-made systems in July and again in October with mixed results, according to U.S. damage assessments.
The officials warned such guided weapons could sharply increase the party's ability to deter Israel in any potential new war.
Hizbullah already has around 100,000 rockets, according to Israeli intelligence estimates, but those are primarily unguided weapons that are less accurate.
Its longer-range rockets are spread across Lebanon, said the Journal.
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