Hezbollah Has Russian Anti-Ship Missiles: Israel

A senior Israeli military official claimed on Sunday that the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group possessed advanced Russian-made anti-ship missiles.



"We believe that Hezbollah holds land-to-sea Yakhont rockets which are manufactured by Russia," David Salama, the commander of Israeli forces in northern Israel's Haifa city, told reporters.



Last year, Israel accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – an ally of Hezbollah – of attempting to ship Yakhont missiles, which can strike targets 300kms away, to Hezbollah in Lebanon.



Western media reported that last year's Israeli strikes on sites in Syria targeted warehouses of Russian-made weaponry in the Arab country.



The same media added that Syria planned to transfer these weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.



"Anti-ship missiles acquired by Syria and Hezbollah in recent years threaten Israeli warships, including those used in natural gas explorations in the Mediterranean Sea," Salama said.



He went on to say that Israeli naval forces planned to launch a diver detection system for Israel's northern coast.



www.aa.com.tr/en - İsrail