'Israel' shocked by Hezbollah's ownership, usage of Almas missiles

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
24 May 2024 16:53
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The director of the Israeli occupation's research center Alma says that while "Israel" was aware of the existence of the Almas anti-tank missile, it was unaware that this technology had been acquired by Hezbollah.

A screengrab from a video shared by Hezbollah showing the operation targeting intelligence equipment using the Almas anti-tank missile. (Military Media)

Hezbollah's attacks have become more complex in recent weeks and have begun to reach deep into "Israel", the US newspaper Foreign Policy quoted the head of the Israeli Alma Research Center, Sarit Zehavi, as saying, expressing fear over not knowing where this matter is heading.

"We’re familiar with the technology, but not with the fact that it’s in the hands of Hezbollah," Sarit Zehavi, a former Israeli military intelligence analyst, said, referring to Hezbollah's usage of the Almas anti-tank missile.

According to an Alma report, last week, Hezbollah targeted two Israeli surveillance balloons. One attack, near the Golani Junction, about 21 miles south of the Lebanese border, directly hit the large IOF observation balloon, Sky Dew, with S-5 rockets launched from an unmanned drone believed to be an Iranian-made Ababil T.

According to an analysis by the Alma Center, this marks the first instance where the group succeeded in carrying out an air-to-surface strike from within Israeli airspace since Oct. 8, 2023. The Alma Center noted, “Although this is not a very advanced capability at this stage, it does constitute a significant leap forward for Hezbollah.”

A second reconnaissance balloon closer to the border was also struck by an Iranian-made Almas anti-tank missile.

Despite "Israel's" formidable anti-air system, capable of intercepting both short- and long-range missiles, it lacks defense against precision anti-tank missiles like the Almas, used in an “unprecedented” manner by Hezbollah to target sites along the border.

"We don’t have an answer to the anti-tank," Zehavi said, as reported by Foreign Policy.

Israeli occupation settlements along the Israeli occupation's northern border with Lebanon have faced strikes from Russian Kornet anti-tank guided missiles, designed for heavy battle tanks, and the Almas, whose designs are based on reverse-engineered Israeli technology, Zehavi explained.

Hezbollah’s utilization of this system is novel. “We’re familiar with the technology but not with the fact that it’s in the hands of Hezbollah,” she stated.

Spoils of the 2006 war: How Almas was made from Spike

Despite Hezbollah's engagement along the northern front, in the war, since October 8, 2023, and the launching of hundreds of daily rocket attacks against Israeli occupation sites and newly established positions and gatherings of its forces, Hezbollah did not use the Almas antitank missile prior to January 28 last year when it targeted surveillance equipment at the Ras al-Naqoura maritime site, marking a qualitative shift in the course of the war.

This qualitative development has attracted the attention of the Israeli media, with Haaretz newspaper speaking about a missile that achieves beyond-line-of-sight strikes, rising upward to search for hidden targets and pursuing them.

In an article published on February 1, 2024, by Haaretz, it was stated that the Almas missile, first revealed in 2016, is a version of one of the advanced anti-tank missiles in the arsenal of the Israeli occupation forces. The article indicated that its origin is the Spike missiles of Israeli manufacture, several of which fell into the hands of Hezbollah as spoils in 2006.

The newspaper saw this as an example of Iran's ability to replicate Western ammunition, as it has done with many types of missiles, drones, and other combat tools that fell into its hands. It pointed out that Iran is a relatively advanced state, capable of taking such systems and replicating them with a high level of similarity and proximity to the original version. Iran has proven its effective improvisational capabilities on numerous occasions, the article noted.

Moreover, the article explained that the Israeli-made Spike missiles provide capabilities not available in their predecessors, such as Kornet and TOW used by Hezbollah.

If the target is located far beyond the operator's line of sight, it can first launch the missile, allow it to approach the estimated area, and then, in a very advanced stage, choose a target.

The most famous advantage of Spike is its ability to execute a top-down attack on tanks and armored vehicles and achieve a hit in the area where the armor is relatively weak.

The newspaper pointed out that if "Israel" can produce advanced versions of the missile, then what Iran produces is even more so, in order to meet Hezbollah's needs.