Hezbollah's tunnel arsenal remains intact despite Israeli attacks
September 26, 20245 Mins Read

International Desk: Because of its flexible chain of command, extensive network of tunnels, and a large stockpile of missiles and other weapons built over the past year, Hezbollah is able to withstand Israeli attacks. British news agency Reuters reported the information, citing three sources familiar with the activities of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group.

Senior Hezbollah commanders were targeted in Israeli strikes last week, and pagers and walkie-talkie blasts also killed many. Ibrahim Akil, the founder and leader of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force, was killed in an Israeli strike last Friday. More than 560 people were killed in the attacks in Beirut on Monday. Among the dead were 50 children and 94 women, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

Israel's military chief Herzi Halevi claimed on Sunday that Akil's death had shaken Hezbollah. He claimed that thousands of Hezbollah rockets and shells were destroyed in the attack.

But two sources familiar with Hezbollah's operations said the group quickly replaced Aqeel and other senior commanders killed in the attack. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrullah said in a speech on August 1 that whenever a leader is killed, the group quickly fills its void.

A Hezbollah official told Reuters that 1,500 fighters were injured when the communications device exploded. Many of them were blinded or had their hands blown off.

Although this was a major blow, only a fraction of Hezbollah's strength was damaged. A report by the US Congress on Friday stated that the number of fighters of the group is 40,000 to 50,000, but Nasrullah claims that the group has 100,000 fighters.

Since October last year, Hezbollah has carried out small-scale attacks on Israel with the support of its ally Hamas. Hezbollah has since redeployed fighters to frontline areas in the south, Reuters reported, citing three sources. Many of these fighters also come from Syria.

Seeking to avoid all-out war, Reuters sources also said Hezbollah has rapidly amassed rockets in Lebanon, anticipating a protracted conflict.

Iran is Hezbollah's main supporter and arms supplier. Hezbollah is the most powerful group among Iran's allies in various countries across the Middle East. Many of their weapons are of Iranian, Russian or Chinese models.

The sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The sources did not give details about the new weapons or where they were bought from.

Hezbollah's media office also did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report. Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King's College London, said that while Hezbollah's operations were disrupted by last week's attacks, its networked organizational structure has helped it become a highly stable force.

"Israel faces its most formidable enemy on the battlefield, not in terms of numbers and technology, but in terms of stability," he said.

• Powerful missiles
have escalated into clashes this week. On September 24, Israel killed another top Hezbollah commander, Ibrahim Qubaisi. Yet Hezbollah has shown the ability to continue operations. Despite all these attacks, hundreds of rockets have been fired deep into Israel.

Hezbollah said on Wednesday it had targeted an Israeli intelligence base near Tel Aviv, 100 kilometers from the border. The Israeli military said warning sirens sounded after a surface-to-surface missile intercepted by Israeli air defenses in Tel Aviv.

The group has not yet said which of Hezbollah's most powerful rockets was fired. Hezbollah has Iranian-made Fateh-110 ballistic missiles with a range of 250-300 km. According to a 2018 paper by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Hezbollah's Fateh-110 missile has a warhead carrying capacity of 450-500 kg.

A senior security official claimed that Hezbollah's ability to carry out rocket attacks despite pagers and radios being blown up proved that the group was able to maintain a chain of command in the face of chaos.

They maintain communication between themselves using fixed-line telephone networks and other devices. Many of the fighters were carrying older models of pagers, so they too were unharmed in last week's attack.

Reuters said it could not independently verify the information. Most of the detonated pagers hit Beirut; which is far from the main frontline. In February, Hezbollah increased the use of pagers by banning the use of cellphones by fighters in response to the killing of several commanders in an Israeli strike.

Frontline fighters are trained to operate in small, independent groups consisting of a few villages near the border, although the chain of command has broken down, a senior official who spoke to Reuters said. They are also capable of fighting Israeli forces for long periods of time independently, the source said.

This happened during the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. The group's fighters continued to battle in border villages for weeks despite Israeli attacks.

• Missiles under ground
Two sources said Hezbollah hides its weapons quite well. On Sunday, rockets were fired from an area in southern Lebanon that Israel had attacked shortly before.

Hezbollah is believed to have an underground arsenal, and footage released last month showed Hezbollah fighters driving trucks with rocket launchers through tunnels. However, Reuters sources could not say whether the rockets fired on Sunday were fired from underground.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Monday's attack destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rockets and munitions. The Israeli military said long-range cruise missiles, rockets with warheads capable of carrying 100 kg of explosives, short-range rockets and explosive UAVs were destroyed in Monday's strike.

However, Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of this Israeli claim. According to a report by the US Congress, Hezbollah has about 150,000 rockets in its arsenal. The most powerful and long-range ballistic missiles are also believed to be kept underground. Source: Deutsche Welle