Hezbollah rocket force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hezbollah's rocket force possesses 20,000 rockets and is Hezbollah's main attack weapon in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, having fired some 3,970 rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon, killing at least 42 civilians and 12 soldiers (as of August 14, 2006).[1][2][3][4][5]
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[edit] Weapons
| Rocket (Hezbollah designation) | Diameter (mm) | Range (km) | Warhead (kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katyusha | BM-21 | 122 | 20 | 21 |
| BM-27 | 220 | 40 | 100 | |
| Fajr-3 | 230 | 45 | 45 | |
| Shahin I (Ra'ad 1) | 333 | 13 | 190 | |
| Shahin 2 | 333 | 29 | 190 | |
| Fajr-5 (Khaibar-1) | 333 | 75 | 90 | |
| Fateh-110 | 170 | 200+ | 500 | |
| Arash (rocket) | 122 | 20 | 18 | |
| Oghab (rocket) | 230 | 45 | 70 | |
| Zelzal-2 | 610 | 100-400 | 600 | |
[edit] Short range
The main arsenal of Hezbollah's rocket force are the some 13,000 Katyusha rockets, including the 122mm BM-21 rockets which have a range of 25km. Hezbollah is also believed to have fired Shahin I missile which was described as a Ra'ad 1 missile by Hezbollah's TV station and has a range of 13km.[6]
At least some of the rockets appear to have been modified to improve their effectiveness as anti-personnel weapons; Human Rights Watch reported that the rocket that killed eight people at Haifa's main railway depot on July 16, 2006 had been packed with metal ball bearings which acted as lethal shrapnel.[7] Another rocket, filled with ball bearings, killed 12 Israeli reservists on August 6. [8]
[edit] Fajr rockets
Hezbollah also possesses longer range rockets, namely the Fajr-3 and Fajr-5 rockets which have a range of 45 or 75km respectively; both missiles have been fired into Israel in the current conflict. [6] It was reported that in 2006 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) believed that Hezbollah had some 100 Fajr rockets.[9] Another document reduces the estimate to several dozens rockets.[10] On August 2, 2006, a Fajr rocket, which Hezbollah called Khaibar-1, landed near the town of Beit Shean, Israel, which is 42 miles south of the Lebanese border.[11]
Fadjr rockets are normally fired on truck-mounted multiple launch systems. Before 2000, the rockets delivered to Hezbollah were believed to have come individually and to be fired from improvised static launchers. The launching crew could fire the rockets remotely to avoid enemy's counter-battery fire. In early 2001, it became known that Hezbollah had deployed a belt of mobile multi-barreled rocket launchers and truck-mounted missiles along Israel’s northern border in preparation of a conflict with Israel.[12]
[edit] Zelzal-2 rockets
Hezbollah is also believed by some analysts to have the more potent Zelzal-2 which has a claimed range of 200-400km but with realistic range estimated at 100km. The Iranian-built missile could reach Tel Aviv from southern Lebanon. The missile can be fitted with a 600kg high-explosive warhead and has a solid fuel system that allow it to be easily transported and prepared for firing. Although these are unguided missiles, they could cause serious damages if used on urban areas.[6] The rockets could be used with chemical or conventional warheads.[13]
A report by Agence France Presse estimates a stockpile of 30 missiles of the Zelzal type.[14]
[edit] Anti-aircraft
For air defence, Hezbollah possesses some anti-aircraft weapons, including the ZU-23 artillery and man-portable shoulder-fired SA-7 and SA-18 surface-to-air missile (SAM).[15] Jane's Defence Weekly reported that Iran has supplied QW-1 Vanguard shoulder-launched SAMs to Hezbollah.[16]
[edit] Anti-ship missile
On 14 July 2006, Hezbollah forces fired, what was reported to be a Chinese C-802 radar-guided anti-ship missile, at the Israeli corvette INS Hanit, killing four sailors and inflicting heavy damage. A second missile sunk a Cambodian vessel crewed by Egyptian sailors, although no deaths were reported. [12] Israeli military believes that Iranian advisers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) were present at the launch during the attack.[17] Iran has denied involvement in the incident.[16]
[edit] Anti-tank missile
Israeli military reported, On August 4, 2006, that Hezbollah is armed with anti-tank guided missile, namely the Russian-made Metis-M and European-made MILAN missiles. These weapons have been used effectively against Merkava, the main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces, causing most of the deaths of the 44 Israeli soldiers who were killed during the first four weeks of the 2006 conflict.[18]
The antitank missiles are also used against helicopters, and Israeli military believed that the missiles were used to shoot down an CH-53 Sea Stallion on August 12, 2006, killing all five crew members.[19]
[edit] Unmanned aerial vehicle
Hezbollah is also supplied by Iran with Mohajer-4 Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV),[12] which had successfully flown twice into Israeli airspace in November 2004 and April 2005. On 7 August, Israeli Air Force (IAF) shot down a Mirsad-1 UAV off the Israeli coast; Mirsad-1 is reported to be Hezbollah's version of the Iranian Mohager 4.[20] One more Hezbollah UAV was downed just before the ceasefire, in the evening of August 13, 2006. The second UAV launched that day (and the third as for the overall crisis duration) crashed near Tyre, most probably because of a technical problem.
[edit] Supply and training
According to the United States, Iran has provided weapons to Hezbollah as well as provided training and funding. In addition, Syria has permitted Iran to use Damascus as a transshipment point to supply Hezbollah. [21] There are also reports that Syria itself has supplied Hezbollah with BM-27 220mm rockets.[13]
In another report, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has helped build Hezbollah's underground storerooms in the Bekaa Valley to hold huge amounts of missiles and ammunition. Hezbollah's missile force includes some 200 technicians and experts trained in Iran. [22] The Zelzal-2 rockets require expertise to aim and launch effectively, and Hezbollah may require direct support from Iranian Revolutionary Guards to operate the rockets.[12]
[edit] 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
As of August 14, 2006, Hezbollah has fired about 4,000 rockets into Israel during the first four weeks of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, killing 42 civilians and 12 reserve soldiers, and injured some 1500.[23] As of August 6, Israeli officials believed that its operation has destroyed the vast majority of Hezbollah's longer-range rockets and about a third of the shorter range Katyushas, but the group still has many Katyushas which are smaller and easy to hide or store underground, and can be set up and fired in a few minutes.[17][24]
On August 13, 2006 Hezbollah launched its fiercest barrage, firing 250 rockets into Israel.
According to Israeli Brigadier General Tzur on August 4, one of the Israeli military's objectives, subject to government's approval, is to push Hezbollah forces to the north of Litani River which lies 15-18 miles north of the Israeli-Lebanon border. This would render most of Hezbollah rockets that have a range of 12 to 15 miles (according to Israeli intelligence) to be ineffective. This would force Hezbollah to use its fewer longer-range rockets which take longer to launch, and easier to detect and destroy.[24]
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[edit] References
- ^ "Safed: Man seriously injured in Katyusha attack", Ynet, 2006-07-14.
- ^ "Anxious northern Israel endures rocket fire", CNN.
- ^ "Katyusha rockets hit Galilee", Ynetnews, 2006-07-13.
- ^ "Northern Israel under attack; missile fired at Haifa", Ynetnews, 2006-07-14.
- ^ Dakroub, Hussein (2006-08-01). Israel sends armored troops into Lebanon. Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ a b c d Hezbollah's rocket force. BBC (2006-07-18).
- ^ Lebanon: Hezbollah Rocket Attacks on Haifa Designed to Kill Civilians. Human Rights Watch, Reuters (2006-07-18).
- ^ Richard A. Oppel and Greg Myre (2006-08-06). Hezbollah Rockets Kill 15 in Deadly Blow to Israel. The New York Times.
- ^ Hezbollah’s missile arsenal and rocket threat. BICOM (2006-07-16). Retrieved on 2006-09-10.
- ^ Shaham, Dan (July 2006). The Question of Proportionality. Embassy of Israel, London.
- ^ Hendawi, Hamza (2006-08-02). Hezbollah rocket reaches farthest point. Associated Press.
- ^ a b c d Hizballah Rockets. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2006-08-01.
- ^ a b Gambill, Gary (December 2002). Hezbollah's Strategic Rocket Arsenal. Middle East Intelligence Bulletin. Retrieved on 2006-08-01.
- ^ The International Institute For Strategic Studies (2006-07-21). Agence France Presse - Lebanese army faces no-win situation. Retrieved on 2006-08-01.
- ^ Hezbollah Reportedly Acquires SA-18 SAMs. Middle East Intelligence Bulletin (April 2003).
- ^ a b Iran to supply Hezbollah with surface-to-air missiles. Agence France-Presse (2006-08-04).
- ^ a b Gardner, Frank (2006-08-03). Hezbollah missile threat assessed. BBC.
- ^ Harvey, Benjamin (2006-08-04). Missiles neutralizing Israeli tanks. Associated Press.
- ^ Edward Cody and Molly Moore (2006-08-14). The Best Guerrilla Force in the World. The Washington Post.
- ^ Israel/Lebanon Update. Stratfor (2008-08-08).
- ^ Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism (2006-04-28). Country Reports on Terrorism: State Sponsors of Terror Overview. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.
- ^ http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD122006
- ^ Israel halts air strikes for 48 hours. Aljazeera (2006-07-31).
- ^ a b Edward Cody and Molly Moore (2006-08-05) "Israeli Warplanes Hit Lebanon's Christian Areas," The Washington Post.
