Hezbollah did not showcase precision missiles in drills: Israeli media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 May 2023 00:25

Israeli media says Hezbollah's precision missiles are keeping the security and military institutions up at night.

Fighters from the Lebanese Resistance faction Hezbollah carry out a training exercise in Aaramta village in the Jezzine District, southern Lebanon, May 21, 2023 (AP)

One of the weapons that was not displayed during the military drills was the precision missiles, Israeli media said commenting on the drills carried out by the Lebanese Resistance faction Hezbollah on Sunday, noting that they were a problem keeping the Israeli security establishment up at night.

"On the northern border, Hezbollah carried out today major military drills in southern Lebanon, and even invited foreign correspondents to cover it, and made threats to Israel there. What does Hezbollah want?" Israeli Channel 13 asked in the wake of the symbolic exercises.

"Firstly, Hezbollah wants to threaten and also send a message," Channel 13 Arab affairs correspondent Hezi Simantov said, explaining that "during the large and exceptional military maneuver in southern Lebanon, there was live munitions, anti-armor weapons, armored vehicles, and several types of Hezbollah kamikaze drones."

"Hezbollah simulated an incursion into Israeli [occupied Palestinian] territory, kidnapping soldiers, and confronting an Israeli invasion, that is a kind of broad confrontation or war," the Israeli journalist said.

"These drills are, in fact, a message to Israel, and its content is that Hezbollah is actually an organized army with special forces and weapons, and despite this, the assessment is that [Hezbollah's Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan] Nasrallah is not interested in a war or a large-scale confrontation with Israel now," he added.

"It must be said that the weapon that was not presented in this exceptional exercise is Hezbollah's precision missiles, and it has many of them. This is the problem that keeps the security and military establishment up at night, but this did not prevent the threat of these missiles being used," Semantov underlined.

Meanwhile, according to Israeli Channel 12, an important aspect of the drills is looking into the mechanism and capabilities of Hezbollah's missile division and special anti-armor formation.

"With the participation of dozens of vehicles and hundreds of members, Hezbollah today carried out a huge maneuver in southern Lebanon, which was centered on stopping an Israeli invasion and infiltrating Israel," the Israeli media outlet stressed.

دعت العلاقات الإعلامية في #حزب_الله الإعلاميين إلى جولة على أحد معسكرات #المقاومة في #جنوب_لبنان لمناسبة عيد #المقاومة_والتحرير، وحضور مناورة عسكرية تظهر استعدادات المقاومة للدفاع عن #لبنان.#الميادين_لبنان pic.twitter.com/YXJ8n7W5Zv
— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) May 21, 2023

Moreover, it stressed that Hezbollah called on journalists from all over the world to attend the drills, with there being a clear message to the Israeli occupation.

"The maneuver is important, but what is also important is the timing and the manner in which it was conducted, as Hezbollah carried it out very publicly and boldly, with widespread coverage," Israeli Channel 12 military affairs correspondent Nir Dvori said.

Lebanese resistance faction Hezbollah on Sunday conducted landmark military drills that saw numerous videos being shared on social media showcasing the resistance's capabilities and diverse formations, while Israeli media focused on Hezbollah's use of Kamikaze UAVs, as well as the drills' implications.

Israeli Channel 7 news also commented on the military drills, too, with Israeli researcher specializing in Arab affairs, Mordechai Kedar, saying, "Hezbollah's show of force comes against the backdrop of the Israeli arrogance following operation Shield and Arrow on Gaza. This is a show of force against the Israelis and the Americans."

"Hezbollah's drills come in light of Tehran's growing might and Syria's return to the Arab League, as well as the return of the two bloc world, which we are seeing take place before our very eyes," Kedar added. The latest round of aggression on Gaza passed "without any direct intervention from Hamas or Hezbollah, therefore Hezbollah decided to show everyone that it had massive capabilities."

Moreover, Kedar underlined that Syria's return to the Arab League indicates that Saudi Arabia rebuffed its ties to Syria and Iran, as the UAE is warming up to Damascus. "In truth, the Middle East has come to understand that Israel is somewhat weak."

"The Arab countries have realized that it might be better to join countries like Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea, so that they have a coalition that does not lower its head in the face of the United States and the West," the Israeli scholar said.