Israel says Hezbollah is located in 1,000 facilities in southern Lebanon

[News_Editor]

Israel says Hezbollah is located in 1,000 facilities in southern Lebanon

2011-04-01 01:42:23 GMT+7 (ICT)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (BNO NEWS) -- Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday informed that the Hezbollah terrorist organization is spread out in around 1,000 facilities in 270 villages in southern Lebanon.

According to IDF intelligence, the terrorist organization continues to acquire ammunition and weapons which can reach populations in cities like Tel Aviv in central Israel. The purchases are possible due to funds provided by the Syrian government.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a 33-day fierce war in 2006 which killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. A UN Security Council resolution ended hostilities and banned all unauthorized weapons in the Blue Line, the UN-monitored border between the two countries.

The IDF said that since the end of the 2006 armed conflict, Hezbollah has built as many as 550 bunkers, 300 underground facilities and 100 storage units for munitions including rockets, missiles and other weapons in the southern Lebanon region.

According to the IDF Northern Command, Hezbollah militants have doubled in number since the end of the last war. The terrorist organization has an estimated arsenal of 40,000 rockets, which translates to 500 to 600 rockets that could be launched daily if war breaks out.

In February 16, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah called on fighters to be ready for a new war with Israel and threatened to take over the Galilee in northern Israel in case of war.

IDF intelligence considers that Hezbollah is trying to distort the balance of power in Lebanon and return to full, routine militant activity in the southeastern regions, similar to its activity levels prior to the 2006 armed conflict.

Over the weekend, Israel deployed its Iron Dome missile defense system in light of the recent rocket attacks in southern Israel. The missile defense system is planned to protect Israeli civilians from missiles fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza, as well as from Hezbollah followers in the border with Lebanon.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-04-01