Israel's Ex-National Security Adviser: Hizbullah's Arsenal Exceeds Firepower of EU Armies
Israel's former National Security Adviser Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror has warned that Hizbullah poses one of the biggest threats to the Jewish State in 2015, saying its arsenal has exceeded the firepower of most European states combined.
The Jerusalem Post quoted Amidror as saying that the Israeli army must prepare for three challenges this year - a large-scale ground war against Hizbullah, a war of attrition with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and a potential military operation in Iran.
He said Israel faces threats posed mainly by non-state actors. “The strongest of them is Hizbullah.”
The party “was formed with a dual purpose in mind - It represents Iran’s long reach in the area and against Israel, while at the same time it aims to control Lebanon,” he added.
The Jerusalem Post said the remarks of Amidror, a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, were published in a report on the center’s website.
He drew a resemblance between Hizbullah and troops, saying its arsenal totals some 150,000 missiles and rockets.
“This rare and substantial firepower apparently even exceeded the firepower possessed by most of the European states combined,” Amidror said in the report.
Hizbullah is busy with its intervention in Syria, a war it deems crucial for its own survival, according to Amidror.
“It fights beside the Syrian Alawites because it needs them to stay in power. If (Syrian President Bashar) Assad survives, Hizbullah’s status in Lebanon will increase, as will its status in Damascus.”
The party has sent its fighters to Syria to help Assad in his battle against rebels seeking to topple him.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah denied in an interview with al-Mayadeen TV that the party's members were “exhausted” in Syria.
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