Photo: IDF press service.
Russian arms supply through Syria
The Israeli military, which is conducting a ground operation in Lebanon, is finding new weapons depots belonging to Hezbollah every day. Many of these weapons are Russian-made. On Tuesday, 19 November, The Wall Street Journal published an article stating that Hezbollah has received significant amounts of weapons, including Kornet missiles, from Russian warehouses located in Syria. The information is confirmed by the Syrian military and authoritative sources in the Arab world, TimeUkraineIsrael reports with reference to Vesty.
Challenges in determining the scale of supply
Russia has been supplying weapons to the Syrian army for many years, and since 2015 has controlled significant arms depots in Syria. Israeli intelligence had long been aware that Russian weapons were reaching Hezbollah, but it was difficult to determine the extent of these supplies. Previously, it was believed that Shiite militants were mostly using outdated Russian and Soviet equipment. However, during Operation Northern Arrows, the IDF discovered the latest weapons systems, which turned out to be much larger than Israeli analysts had anticipated. These new supplies, in particular, have significantly strengthened Hezbollah’s ability to resist Israeli forces, even after the elimination of the terrorist group’s leaders.
Photo: IDF press service.
Strengthening cooperation between Russia and Hezbollah
The findings in the South Lebanon warehouses have heightened the concerns of the Israeli security system about the growing cooperation between Russia and Hezbollah. This contradicts the official position of the Kremlin, which denies any involvement in the conflict between Israel and its neighbours. Russia also rejects allegations that its Hmeymim airbase is being used to transport weapons from Iran to Hezbollah. This statement was made on 13 November by the Russian President’s Special Representative for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, who assured that Russia was not providing its base to help Hizbullah.
Photo: IDF press service.
Tensions between Moscow and Tel Aviv
However, tensions between Moscow and Tel Aviv are growing, in particular because of Russian demands not to strike targets in Syria, including the Khmeimim base. The Russian military claims that such attacks threaten the safety of the base’s personnel.
Israel’s reaction to the arms supply
Former Israeli Ambassador to Russia Arkady Milman, who now works at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), called on the Israeli leadership to make it clear to Russia that Israel will not tolerate the supply of Russian weapons to Hizbullah and Iran, as this poses a threat to the security of the Jewish state.
Meanwhile, Israel’s new Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed hope that Russia would help disarm Hezbollah and take measures to stop arms smuggling from Syria and Iran.
According to the Lebanese publication Al-Jumhuriya, Israel has allegedly offered to lift personal sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in exchange for a cessation of arms supplies to Hezbollah.
