Hezbollah debuts Shahed-101 drone against 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
14 Jul 2024 10:46
2 Shares

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon inaugurates the Shahed-101 drone into the fight against the Israeli occupation, raising concerns among Israeli officials.

Listen

Smoke rises from inside an Israeli military site which was hit by Hezbollah as seen from Tair Harfa village, south Lebanon, October 20, 2023. (AP)

Hezbollah inaugurated the Iranian Shahed-101 drone in the confrontations in southern Lebanon, a highly-maneuverable aircraft that is notably difficult to detect, sending shockwaves within the Israeli occupation.

"Hezbollah has started using new Iranian Shahed 101 drones for the first time since the beginning of the war," Itay Blumenthal, the military affairs correspondent for the Israeli Kan public broadcaster, revealed. These drones are "very difficult for the Air Force to detect and intercept."

Blumenthal added that these new drones are electric, unlike the Ababil drones previously used by Hezbollah, which have gasoline engines. He noted that they are "extremely quiet and almost impossible to hear from the ground."

He highlighted that these drones have a range of "up to 19 kilometers and they can carry explosives weighing up to 10 kilograms." He confirmed that they "were the drones launched by Hezbollah on Thursday, which led to the killing of an officer in the Alon Brigade, with remnants found near Kibbutz Kabri."

Hezbollah has been 'manufacturing drones for years'

A report by the Israeli ALMA Research Center in 2021 indicated that Hezbollah possesses around 2,000 drones, some of which are advanced and locally manufactured. The report added that Hezbollah had been deploying drones since before the 2006 July War, with drones such as the Shahed-129, Mohajer, and Karrar.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon has a comprehensive system of military capabilities, particularly in terms of aerial weaponry represented by drones. Hezbollah's arsenal includes reconnaissance, attack, and offensive drones.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah revealed about two years ago that the Resistance group "has been manufacturing drones for years," affirming that "the Resistance decided to operationalize the existing air defense systems years ago."

Lebanese and Iranian drones have become a major concern for the Israeli occupation, emerging as an effective weapon in the Islamic Resistance's operations against various Israeli targets, including sites, headquarters, surveillance stations, and troops in the depths of northern occupied Palestine.

A slippery slope for 'Israel'

The Washington Post issued Wednesday a report entitled What we know — and don't know — about Hezbollah's weapons arsenal in which it underlined that the Resistance's arsenal comprises guided and unguided rockets, antitank artillery, ballistic and antiship missiles, and explosive-laden drones, signaling a potentially complex, multi-front conflict that could extend deep into "Israel".

The newspaper underlined that analysts estimate Hezbollah possesses between 130,000 and 150,000 rockets and missiles, more than four times what Hamas was believed to have before the war on Gaza.

The Lebanese Resistance group also says it enjoys manpower of over 100,000 fighters, more than double the highest estimates of Hamas' combat strength before the war.

The report pointed out that the Lebanese Resistance maintains strict secrecy about its arsenal, leaving weapons experts to speculate on the full extent of its capabilities.

According to the report, most of Hezbollah's arsenal consists of lower-grade, unguided munitions, which could pose a significant threat to "Israel's" aerial defense systems if launched in large quantities. Even more concerning for "Israel" are the precision munitions that the Lebanese group confirms it possesses.

Touching on Hezbollah's aerial capabilities, the report mentioned that the Lebanese group "has a large fleet of drones at its disposal, varying in size, shape, and capability."