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2/3 of Hezbollah’s arsenal originated in Russia – report

Israeli forces operating in Lebanon have reportedly revealed that the vast majority of Hezbollah’s weapons are Russian-made, including some recently manufactured.

By World Israel News Staff

The vast majority of Hezbollah’s weapons originated from Russia, according to a report Tuesday, with recent discoveries by Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon forcing the IDF to raise its estimates regarding the flow of weapons to the Iranian-backed terror group.

On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal published a report citing multiple sources claiming that IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon since October 1st have uncovered large quantities of Russian-made weapons in Hezbollah’s possession.

While Israel has long been aware of the Iranian-backed terror group’s use of Russian-made weapons, the recent discoveries reportedly came as a surprise to military intelligence, which had estimated that Hezbollah’s arsenal was less dependent on Russia, and that the Russian-made equipment was largely older items, many dating to the Soviet era.

In fact, however, Hezbollah’s arsenal includes Russian weapons manufactured as recently as 2020, Syrian security officials and an Arab official told the Journal.

Rather than being made up of antiquated weapons dating back before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Israeli forces operating in Lebanon have found troves of modern advanced Russian weapons in Hezbollah caches, including antitank Kornet missiles.

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The discoveries have fueled fears among Israeli leaders that Russia is strengthening its ties to the Lebanese terror group, contradicting Moscow’s claims of neutrality in conflicts between Israel and Iranian proxy groups.

Israel’s former Ambassador to Russia, Arkady Mil-Man, said that Israel “needs to be more assertive and defend its interests” in talks with Russia.

“We must explain and convey to the Russians that we will no longer stand any assistance to Hezbollah and Iran that could hurt Israelis.”

Moscow, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, and the Syrian foreign ministry all declined to respond to the report.

According to an IDF major cited by the report, between 60% and 70% of the Hezbollah weapons seized early in Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon were of Russian origin.