Hezbollah-Israel: ‘This would not be a conventional war’
Hezbollah’s drones seem to be the new unknown in the conflict with Israel. Hezbollah has armed itself with countless sophisticated drones such as the one that went under the radar and struck the city of Haifa recently.
It could also start attacking shipping in the Mediterranean Sea, like the Houthis have done in the Red Sea, which could cut off maritime life from Israel. Would Hezbollah be able to do something similar? That remains to be seen.
This would not be a conventional war. What you’re seeing from both sides is an attempt to create a balance of terror. Hezbollah is not deterred. That is what’s new in this latest statement by its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
He’s telling Israel, “Until you stop the war in Gaza, we’ll continue with our war in the north, and if you want to expand it, we’ll use asymmetrical means if we need to.”
How Hezbollah’s arms arsenal has changed from last Israel war
Hezbollah last went to war with Israel in 2006. Since then, it “has robustly expanded the size and the quality of its arsenal”, says Dina Arakji, an associate analyst at Control Risks consultancy.
“The group in 2006 reportedly had about 15,000 rockets while unofficial estimates in recent years suggest this number has multiplied by almost 10 times.”
The armed group “reportedly acquired more advanced weaponry, particularly precision-guided missiles”, Arakji noted. “Hezbollah is unlikely to have used its most sophisticated weaponry yet.”
Military analyst and retired Lebanese army general Khalil Helou said Hezbollah has Iranian ballistic missiles it has yet to launch into Israel. Those include the Fateh 110 – a precision-guided missile with a range of about 300km (186 miles) – more than sufficient to reach Tel Aviv and Jerusalem from Lebanon.
