Since the outbreak of the war, Hezbollah has been launching anti-tank missiles almost every day at houses and military positions on the northern border. This is a very small amount of the weapons arsenal that the organization has accumulated since the Second Lebanon War. Or Fialkov, a researcher of Israel’s wars and terrorism, explained today (Thursday) in a conversation with Maariv what the Shia terrorist organization’s missile stockpile includes, and how it decides which missiles to use. According to him, “the only solution to prevent the anti-tank threat is an invasion of Lebanon and the destruction of Hezbollah’s military power, up to the litany or in all of Lebanon.”
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“As we know, Hezbollah has many years of experience, and one that probably no other regular army in the world has, with anti-tank missiles, which it gained during the fighting in the Security Strip in the 80s and 90s, and later in the Second Lebanon War and the Syrian Civil War,” Polyakov explains. “So far, Hezbollah has hit with anti-tank missiles in almost all the settlements adjacent to the fence, and has caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, including residences, public buildings, businesses, vehicles, and chicken coops. Recently, a precise hit was also recorded in Kiryat Shmona, apparently following intelligence information that the organization holds.” .
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He emphasizes that “Hezbollah fighters, deployed throughout southern Lebanon, have assimilated into the civilian population. They usually shoot from houses or groves/forests near the border, which makes the interception process difficult. In most cases, they cannot be harmed after the shooting, since the Quickly evacuate the place.”
The house that was hit by an explosion in Kfar Yuval (Photo: Idan Hait/ KBA North)
What missiles does Hezbollah use?
“Hezbollah, apparently, uses Cornets of several models, among them a Cornet with a range of five and a half to eight km, and an Iranian model with a double launcher that allows firing a pair of missiles at the same target (in order to deal with active defense systems such as windbreakers, and an EM model with a range of 8-10 km). The Kornet is a very accurate missile that can be aimed with the help of laser guidance, so that even an operator who is not skilled enough can hit, but the biggest advantage is the large amount of missiles that Hezbollah has. In the IBA attack in Miron, it was possible to see that Hezbollah fires a large amount of missiles, the vast majority of which do not hit the target, but it is enough for one to hit to cause great damage.”
Poliakov expands and notes that “Hezbollah also uses a cornet with a thermobaric warhead. This warhead includes a mixture of oxygen and fuel, and it produces a large flame and blast, which causes significantly greater damage to buildings. In recent months, we see Hezbollah using this warhead more and more to destroy houses intact at the northern border.”
What other missiles do they have?
“Other old missiles that Hezbollah has are the Konkurs – a wire-guided missile with a range of four kilometers, with an easy-to-carry system manufactured in Iran under the name Tusan. Another missile is the Fagot, which has the same launcher as the Concourse, but with a shorter range of 2.5 km. The oldest missile that Hezbollah has is the Sagar, which was developed in the 1970s, and is produced in Iran in a version called Raed. The range is short and firing requires an experienced operator, however Such missiles can be fired in quantities from wooded areas. Hezbollah also has Tau missiles, which have been produced in Iran since the pre-revolution period, and Dragon missiles that the organization uses. Hezbollah uses everything in its arsenal. The organization’s operatives fire at quite large, unprotected and stationary targets. That is, the target is not in motion and you don’t need to hit a small, specific point to penetrate it. These are missiles that are fired mainly at houses, while the Kornet missiles are kept by Hezbollah for targeted targets and also for IDF tanks that will enter Lebanon.”
The damage caused by Hezbollah’s anti-tank fire at the Galil fruit factory in Metula (Photo: private)
“Recently, we began to see in the northern arena the widespread use of the EM Cornet for a range of 10 km, the newest model that Hezbollah has, its first use was when Hezbollah tried to hit a jeep near the village of Saled, about 8 km from the border, but they The missile was also fired at the IBA in Miron in order to reach its range. From the Hezbollah video showing the attack on the Air Force’s strategic target in Miron, it appears that at least some of the hits were from accurate anti-tank missiles and not from rockets. For example, you can clearly see a precise hit on a flat track. This means that Hezbollah has Cornet missiles of the EM model, which reach ranges of 8 to 10 km, compared to the normal Cornets which reach 5.5 km.
Recently Hezbollah introduced in the arena new missiles called Almas, with optical guidance and without the need to see the target before launch. Several launches of this missile were seen in Metula, Rosh Hankara and also at tanks. The advantages of the missile is that it allows to threaten bases that are protected behind nets or walls and its range is about 8 km long. The missile, which came into use in Iran about three years ago, includes maneuvering options and has a double warhead. The Iranians built this missile as an IDF launcher It fell in its entirety in the Second Lebanon War, and they reverse-engineered the missile – and that’s how they managed to imitate it.”
How can this missile be dealt with?
“The missile’s impact can be prevented by using electronic jamming systems or by using a wind jacket. The Almas upgrades Hezbollah’s anti-tank capabilities and is an additional threat to the civilians and security forces in the north. Hezbollah not only fires at houses, but also at Merkava tanks, but it can be seen that the wind jacket works well and the tanks are hardly damaged. Soldiers are mostly killed when they stand about half of their body outside the tank and then the explosion of the missile with the wind jacket causes them to be injured. Hezbollah has a Cornet du Kenny launcher that can detect the Wind Jacket system, but we have not yet seen its use in the arena. The problem is that it brings into the anti-tank range not only settlements that are close to the border, and above all it causes problems with a political agreement that will push Hezbollah to the north, but leave it with its anti-tank capabilities. A political agreement that would distance Hezbollah a few kilometers from the border is insufficient and will not change the level of security in the region. Anyone who returns to live next to the fence will be a target for the anti-tank missiles. Israel has no defensive solution to the threat of Hezbollah, it is not possible to put a windbreaker system on every house in Toula. Building walls or earthen embankments (as the IDF did in part of the northern border) is also a solution It is partial and ineffective, which only does damage, since the IDF forces cannot look into Lebanon while there are settlements that, due to the topographical structure of the territory – no wall will help them.”
So what is the solution?
“In the past in Lebanon, and even today in the IDF posts on the border, the IDF uses missile nets and that’s how the anti-tank missiles hit the net and explode. This solution does not help to protect settlements, mainly because of various topographical problems that do not allow fences to be erected along all the settlements on the border. The only solution to prevent the anti-tank threat is an invasion of Lebanon and the destruction of Hezbollah’s military force, up to the litany or in all of Lebanon.”