How Hezbollah Military Compares Against Israel?

Klah Sur

Transcript

00:00Hezbollah, meaning Party of God, is also a military wing in one of the largest non-state

00:05actor armies.

00:06It possesses an arsenal of missiles and rockets, hundreds of anti-aircraft trucks, an air defense

00:13system, dozens of Soviet-era tanks, and other troop carriers like this BMP.

00:20With thousands of soldiers on its payroll, Hezbollah is a driving force along with Russia

00:25in helping the Bashar al-Assad regime survive the civil war.

00:29Interestingly, Hezbollah is just a political party in Lebanon as stated, but some reports

00:35suggest it is almost equal in strength to the country's Lebanese army.

00:39It's almost like a country within a country in Lebanon.

00:42But it was also Iran that has funded Hezbollah, projecting its power and enabling it to hold

00:47proxy wars with Israel, so let's take a look at how it compares against each other.

00:53Hezbollah has 100,000 soldiers, but some reports suggest it's around 60,000, making

00:58it one of the world's most heavily armed non-state actors.

01:02In comparison, Israel has around 160,000 active personnel and a reserve force of around 500,000

01:09soldiers.

01:10Furthermore, Hezbollah has around 150,000 missiles, while Israel has at least 10 Iron

01:17Dome batteries in operation, each containing 60-80 interceptor missiles.

01:23But here's the catch.

01:25As we all know, in order to overwhelm the Iron Dome system, you need to fire around

01:295,000 missiles for a successful penetration.

01:32Let's assume Israel has around 5,000 missiles in storage, considering that the Iron Dome

01:37costs $50 million per battery and $100,000 per interceptor missile.

01:44If Hezbollah fires 5,000 missiles every day and the Israeli spends 150 missiles per 5,000,

01:51this means if we multiply 5,000 Hezbollah missiles into 30 days, it will be equal to

01:57150,000 missiles, that is their entire stockpile.

02:03For the Israeli Iron Dome, if Israel uses 150 missiles per day to intercept the 5,000

02:09missiles fired by Hezbollah, then over 30 days, the usage would be the following.

02:14This means if we multiply 150 Iron Dome missiles into 30 days, it will be equal to 4,500 missiles.

02:22Both party arsenal would be depleted in 30 days and war would stop and nobody emerges

02:26the winner.

02:27But this is the Middle East and as the saying goes, nobody can predict knows what would

02:31happen there.

02:34Let's look further at the types of missiles.

02:36As always, Soviet platforms are a favorite with the Katyusha rocket system, also known

02:41as Grad rockets, providing the backbone of the Lebanese outfit's unguided short-range

02:46rocket capabilities.

02:48But they have also received a variety of missiles from Iran, including versions of the Grad

02:51missiles and the famous homemade Qasem rockets of various kinds that can cost from $300 to $3,000.

03:00Let's take a look at how these low-budget rockets are made and operated.

03:03Rockets are launched from a simple steel frame for quick deployment and easy removal.

03:08A wire connected to a battery ignites the rocket's solid fuel propellant, which burns

03:12for a short time propelling the rocket upwards.

03:16After the burn, the rocket follows a predictable parabolic trajectory and impacts the ground

03:21at a consistent distance from the launch point.

03:24Here is the shrapnel or ball bearings, which play a crucial role in the rocket's destructive

03:28capabilities.

03:30Within the warhead of the Qasem rocket lies a combination of uranitrate and smuggled TNT,

03:35bolstered by additional shrapnel for maximum impact upon detonation.

03:39This is the fuse, a critical part of the rocket's design.

03:43It's a simple yet effective device consisting of an empty small arms cartridge filled with

03:47an explosive booster material.

03:50This material is set in motion by a spring-loaded nail, creating the mechanism that triggers

03:55the rocket's explosive payload on impact.

03:58When it follows a parabolic path, it descends head-on and activates the trigger fuse.

04:03The fuse sets off the warhead, a mixture of urea and TNT, creating an explosion and

04:09dispersing shrapnel.

04:11Hezbollah has dozens of Soviet-produced T-55 and T-72 main battle tanks acquired from Syria

04:17following the Russian intervention in support of Al-Assad's government.

04:21Meanwhile, Israel maintains an impressive tank fleet with an estimated inventory of

04:25over 2,200 tanks comprising modern and upgraded versions.

04:30However, we have to assume Hezbollah would be deploying these as sniper tanks, meaning

04:34they would use a shoot-and-scoot tactic.

04:37Here is how it would work.

04:38Let's assume Hezbollah has these tanks positioned in the hilly areas near the Golan Heights.

04:42They would take a position, shoot two or three rounds at an Israeli tank, and then move to

04:47another position.

04:49This is a tried and tested tank strategy designed to make the army appear larger, confusing

04:54the larger tank brigade, and then using infantry soldiers carrying RPGs to disable the tank.

05:00Let's take a look at the tanks Hezbollah acquired from Syria.

05:05The T-55 is an aging design that was first deployed in the 1950s, though it has received

05:10numerous upgrades.

05:11It is a medium-sized tank equipped with a 100mm rifled gun and relatively thick armor,

05:18providing effective protection against smaller-caliber anti-tank weapons.

05:22Though the T-55 is heavily outmatched by more modern tanks, it is simple, durable, and easy

05:27to maintain, still providing Hezbollah with reasonable firepower.

05:31The T-72, meanwhile, represents an evolution in Soviet tank design, featuring improved

05:36armor, a more powerful 125mm gun, and enhanced mobility.

05:42Its composite armor and improved fire control system provide better protection and accuracy

05:46compared to the T-55, and the vehicle requires just three crew members to operate one fewer

05:52than the T-55.

05:53This is the Israeli Merkava MBT, one of the most unique main battle tanks, as it has the

05:58ability to carry up to six infantry soldiers.

06:01Yes, you read that correctly, six infantry soldiers.

06:05Meanwhile, it maintains a crew of four, a configuration similar to other MBT.

06:10Apart from being a troop carrier, it is also a main battle tank, so you need very good

06:14firepower.

06:16At the forefront, you'll notice the impressive 120mm smoothbore gun.

06:21Just beside it is the coaxial machine gun, hidden inside this turret.

06:25Continuing further, you'll find the .50 caliber mount, primarily used by the gunner for engaging

06:30infantry targets.

06:31This is the gunner's primary sight, with a ballistic shield cover.

06:34Moving further towards the back, you can see the .50 caliber machine gun, which is operated

06:39by the commander.

06:40As we shift to the side, we encounter the commander-independent thermal viewer.

06:44Moving back to Hezbollah weaponry, Hezbollah also benefits from a significant number of

06:49armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.

06:52The primary IFV utilized by Hezbollah is the BMP-1, another Soviet creation acquired via

06:58Syria, which was one of the first IFVs ever deployed.

07:02Combining the maneuverability and light armor of an APC with heavier weapons akin to a tank,

07:08the BMP-1 was a revolutionary vehicle, offering troop transport capabilities coupled with

07:13considerable firepower.

07:15It is fitted with a 73mm gun capable of firing high explosive rounds as well as anti-tank

07:20munitions, and it comes standard with a coaxial machine gun.

07:27Hezbollah also has dedicated anti-aircraft guns from the early 1950s, such as the Zyushka-23

07:33or Zyu-23.

07:34This is a dual-mounted gun with a very high rate of fire, making it very effective against

07:39aircraft and even capable of destroying tanks.

07:43These guns are usually stationary, but the Soviets found that mounting them on medium

07:47trucks proved beneficial for shoot-and-scoot capabilities.

07:51Hezbollah has gone further by mounting them on pickup trucks, such as this Toyota version.

07:55For some reason, these pickup trucks seem to have become the mainstay of many militant

07:59groups in this area.

08:02Reports suggest that Hezbollah also possesses the Pantsir-S1 system.

08:06This advanced system uses a combination of six medium-range missiles and this two-dual

08:1130mm autocannon guns located here.

08:14At $20 million, these medium-range anti-aircraft systems provide a significant advantage.

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