Hizbullah”s Arms Stash Growing Bigger, Deadlier
Nearly two years after its war with Israel, Hizbullah”s stockpile of arms is getting bigger and stronger than before the conflict, said the Los Angeles Times, citing Israeli and Western officials and Hizbullah itself.
It said, however, that assessments diverge on the source of Hizbullah”s arms.
Western and Israeli officials accuse Iran and Syria of smuggling thousands of short-range rockets as well as missiles that can strike deep into Israel and other weaponry into Lebanon in violation of a U.N. arms embargo. Smuggling routes have included a rail line through Turkey, The Los Angeles Times quoted officials as saying.
Hizbullah dismisses smuggling allegations as propaganda, as do Iran and Syria, but the Shiite group refuses to say how it gets its arms.
Hizbullah fired thousands of rockets into northern Israel in the 2006 summer war.
Tension is running high since the killing of top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh in a February car bomb in Damascus.
Hizbullah has blamed Israel for the attack and vowed retaliation.
Hizbullah now has about 27,000 rockets and missiles, more than double its supply before the 2006 war, the report quoted Israeli officials as saying. Acquisitions include Iranian missiles capable of hitting Tel Aviv, they allege.
"We know without a doubt that the international embargo on the transfer of weapons to Hizbullah has been deliberately violated by the governments of Iran and Syria," said Mark Regev, an Israeli government spokesman.
The U.S. administration, which has labelled Hizbullah a terrorist group, accuses Iran of providing weapons, training and millions of dollars. Syria also has emerged as an arms supplier, not just a conduit for Iranian arms, Israeli officials told The Los Angeles Times.
"The Syria-Iran-Hizbullah axis is closer than it has been since 2006," an Israeli security official said. "In operational planning, the Syrians know that Hizbullah is part of their defense architecture. Hizbullah is stronger than before the war. They have improved their antitank capabilities, the number and quality of their rockets."
Hizbullah leader sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has declared his group”s arsenal has attained or surpassed its prewar level.
Hizbullah leaders have declined to discuss specific numbers. But a source close to Hizbullah agreed with the Israeli assessment of the military buildup, according to the report. The source spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a temporary halt in contacts with Western news media.
"We are ready and we are stronger than two years ago," the source said. "In every battle there are weak and strong points. We have found solutions to all of our weak points from that experience."
The source said Iran has no "operational" role, but acknowledged that Tehran and Hizbullah have a strong strategic partnership.
Nasrallah and his deputies say they would not provoke new hostilities.
In his last report issued October 24, 2007, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Lebanese factions against rearming and conducting military training.
Calling on all parties, including Hizbullah, to commit to the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon, he restated his conviction "that the eventual disarmament of Hizbullah in the sense of the completion of its transformation into a solely political party" is of critical importance for the future of a fully sovereign Lebanon.
In a report in October, Ban presented claims provided to the U.N. by Israel and by Prime Minister Fouad Saniora that Hizbullah had beefed up its missile stocks with Syrian and Iranian help, and said those two countries had "special responsibility" not to destabilize Lebanon. Speeches by Nasrallah "seemed to confirm" Israeli allegations about the growth of the arsenal, Ban said.
Western and Israeli officials say Iran and Syria play a vital clandestine role in rebuilding Hizbullah”s military, according to the report. Because of his ties to Iranian and Syrian security forces, Mughniyeh oversaw the drive, officials told The Los Angeles Times.
The report cited Western security officials as saying that they discovered last year that Iran was procuring telescopic sights for antitank guns and rocket-propelled grenades from an Eastern European country.
Communications among Iranian diplomats revealed that the sights were earmarked for Hizbullah, the officials said. They said Iran also allegedly furnished night-vision equipment and binoculars.