Hezbollah Conducts Media War Drills Amidst Israel Tensions
In a rare display of its military potential, the Lebanese fighters of Hezbollah on Sunday staged a series of war drills in front of an audience of invited journalists. The show of force comes as tensions between Israel on the one side, and Hezbollah as well as Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza on the other.
Senior official Hashem Safieddine said the display “confirm[s] our complete readiness to confront any aggression” by Israel. Safieddine hinted about having precision-guided missiles, but the group did not display them. According to this video, however, Hezbollah showed off surface-to-air missiles with Iranian sights
Rockets are a major cornerstone of Hezbollah’s arsenal, with some estimating the militia has stockpiled more than 130,000 of them. It’s one reason why Hezbollah is often called the world’s most-armed non-state military force — and why the Iran-aligned militia is a meaningful check on Israel’s military ambitions.
April saw one of the largest exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel in recent years. That violence accompanied a broader Palestinian backlash against Israel, sparked by a police raid on Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque that included the brutal beating of Muslim worshippers.
