Editing Hezbollah (section)

== Armed strength ==
{{Main|Hezbollah armed strength}}
[[File:2023 Hezbollah drill in Aaramta 03.jpg|thumb|Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, May 2023]]
Hezbollah does not reveal its armed strength. The Dubai-based Gulf Research Centre estimated in 2006 that Hezbollah's armed wing comprises 1,000 full-time Hezbollah members, along with a further 6,000–10,000 volunteers.<ref name="Hezbollah force">{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607095136/http://www.iiss.org/whats-new/iiss-in-the-press/press-coverage-2006/july-2006/hezbollah-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with|url=http://www.iiss.org/whats-new/iiss-in-the-press/press-coverage-2006/july-2006/hezbollah-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with |title=Analysis: Hezbollah a force to be reckoned with|agency=Agence France-Presse |publisher=Iiss.org |date=18 July 2006 |archive-date=7 June 2008| access-date=20 October 2012}}</ref> According to the Iranian [[Fars News Agency]], Hezbollah has up to 65,000 fighters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=13911026001114|title=پیشنهاد عربستان برای تشکیل نیروی مقابله با حزبالله|date=15 January 2013|access-date=16 January 2013|archive-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118030547/http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=13911026001114}}</ref> In October 2023, [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] cited Hezbollah expert Nicholas Blanford as estimating that Hezbollah has at least 60,000 fighters, including full-time and reservists, and that it had increased its stockpile of missiles from 14,000 in 2006 to about 150,000.<ref name="HarperCollins-2013">{{multiref2|{{cite book|chapter=Hezbollah|title=The Collins English Dictionary|chapter-url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/hezbollah|access-date=7 May 2013|year=2013|publisher=HarperCollins|location=Glasgow}}|{{cite book |chapter=Hezbollah |title=Webster's New World College Dictionary|chapter-url=https://www.yourdictionary.com/hezbollah|access-date=7 May 2013|year=2012|publisher=Wiley Publishing, Inc.|location=Cleveland}}
}}</ref> It is often described as more militarily powerful than the Lebanese Army.<ref name="washpost2013">{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Loveday |date=12 June 2013 |title=For Lebanon's Sunnis, growing rage at Hezbollah over role in Syria |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/for-lebanons-sunnis-growing-rage-at-hezbollah/2013/06/12/9696297c-d299-11e2-8cbe-1bcbee06f8f8_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105065531/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-06-12/world/39922185_1_aleppo-war-soccer-stadium |archive-date=5 November 2013 |access-date=20 June 2013 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url-status=live |quote=...&nbsp;Hezbollah, which has a fighting force generally considered more powerful than the Lebanese army.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Hezbollah Upsets The Balance in Lebanon|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/lebanon-syria-hezbollah/1682124.html|publisher=[[Voice of America]]|date=14 June 2013|access-date=24 June 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621233109/http://www.voanews.com/content/lebanon-syria-hezbollah/1682124.html|archive-date=21 June 2013}}</ref><ref name="NYT05202013">{{cite news |last=Barnard |first=Anne |date=20 May 2013 |title=Hezbollah's Role in Syria War Shakes the Lebanese |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/world/middleeast/syria-developments.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |access-date=20 June 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times |quote=Hezbollah, stronger than the Lebanese Army, has the power to drag the country into war without a government decision, as in 2006, when it set off the war by capturing two Israeli soldiers}}</ref> Israeli commander Gui Zur called Hezbollah "by far the greatest guerrilla group in the world".<ref>Richard Augustus Norton – Hizbollah. p. 140</ref>

In 2010, Hezbollah was believed to have 45,000 rockets.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Goldberg|first=Jeffrey|date=September 2010|title=The Point of No Return|journal=The Atlantic|page=62}}</ref> Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff [[Gadi Eisenkot]] said that Hezbollah possesses "tens of thousands" of long- and short-range rockets, drones, advanced computer encryption capabilities, as well as advanced defense capabilities like the [[SA-6]] anti-aircraft missile system.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-chief-says-iranian-missile-overhyped-but-sent-a-message/|title=IDF chief says Iranian missiles overhyped, but sent a message|first=Judah Ari|last=Gross|work=The Times of Israel}}</ref>

Hezbollah possesses the [[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha-122]] rocket, which has a range of {{convert|29|km|mi|abbr=on}} and carries a {{convert|15|kg|lb|abbr=on|adj=on}} warhead. Hezbollah possesses about 100 long-range missiles. They include the Iranian-made [[Fajr-3 (artillery rocket)|Fajr-3]] and [[Fajr-5]], the latter with a range of {{convert|75|km|mi|abbr=on}}, enabling it to strike the Israeli port of [[Haifa]], and the [[Zelzal-1]], with an estimated {{convert|150|km|mi|abbr=on}} range, which can reach [[Tel Aviv]]. Fajr-3 missiles have a range of {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} and a {{convert|45|kg|lb|abbr=on|adj=on}} warhead. Fajr-5 missiles, extend to {{convert|72|km|mi|abbr=on}}, also hold {{convert|45|kg|lb|abbr=on|adj=on}} warheads.<ref name="Hezbollah force" /> It was reported that Hezbollah is in possession of [[Scud]] missiles that were provided to them by Syria.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harel |first=Amos |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1162658.html |title=Syria is shipping Scud missiles to Hezbollah |work=Haaretz |location=Israel |date=13 April 2010 |access-date=27 January 2011}}</ref> Syria denied the reports.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1163279.html |title=Syria: Israel's Scud accusation may be pretense for attack |work=Haaretz |location=Israel |date=25 October 2008 |access-date=27 January 2011}}</ref>

According to various reports, Hezbollah is armed with [[anti-tank guided missile]]s, namely, the Russian-made [[AT-3 Sagger]], [[AT-4 Spigot]], [[AT-5 Spandrel]], [[Metis-M|AT-13 Saxhorn-2 'Metis-M']], [[9M133 Kornet|АТ-14 Spriggan 'Kornet']], [[Iran]]ian-made [[RAAD (anti-tank guided missile)|Ra'ad]] (version of AT-3 Sagger), Towsan (version of AT-5 Spandrel), [[Toophan]] (version of [[BGM-71 TOW]]), and European-made [[MILAN]] missiles. These weapons have been used against IDF soldiers, causing many of the deaths during the [[2006 Lebanon War]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Harvey|first=Benjamin|title=Missiles Neutralizing Israeli Tanks|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/04/AR2006080401105.html|access-date=20 October 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=5 August 2006|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> US courts said that North Korea provided armaments to Hezbollah during the 2006 war.<ref>{{cite news |last=McElroy |first=Damien |date=29 July 2014 |title=North Korea denies reports of missile deal with Hamas |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10998755/North-Korea-denies-reports-of-missile-deal-with-Hamas.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10998755/North-Korea-denies-reports-of-missile-deal-with-Hamas.html |archive-date=11 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A small number of Saeghe-2s, an Iranian-made version of the [[M47 Dragon]], were also used in the war.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/158/documentid/3504/history/3,2360,655,158,3504 |title=Hezbollah, Already a Capable Military Force, Makes Full Use of Civilian Shields and Media Manipulation |first=Paul |last=Weitz |work=Journal of International Security Affairs |date=12 August 2006 |access-date=9 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107090241/http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/158/documentid/3504/history/3%2C2360%2C655%2C158%2C3504 |archive-date=7 January 2008 }}</ref>

For air defense, Hezbollah has anti-aircraft weapons that include the [[ZU-23]] artillery and the man-portable, shoulder-fired [[Strela 2|SA-7]] and [[9K38 Igla|SA-18]] [[surface-to-air missile]] (SAM).<ref>{{cite web|date=April 2003|url=http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0304_l2.htm|title=Hezbollah Reportedly Acquires SA-18 SAMs|publisher=Middle East Intelligence Bulletin}}</ref> One of the most effective weapons deployed by Hezbollah has been the [[C-802]] [[anti-ship missile]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Gardner |first=Frank |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5242566.stm |title=Hezbollah missile threat assessed |publisher=BBC News |date=3 August 2006 |access-date=27 January 2011}}</ref>

In April 2010, U.S. Secretary of Defense [[Robert Gates]] claimed that Hezbollah has far more missiles and rockets than the majority of countries, and said that Syria and Iran are providing weapons to the organization. Israel also claims that Syria is providing the organization with these weapons. Syria has denied supplying these weapons and views these claims as an Israeli excuse for an attack.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} Leaked cables from American diplomats suggest that the United States has been trying unsuccessfully to prevent Syria from "supplying arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon", and that Hezbollah has "amassed a huge stockpile (of arms) since its 2006 war with Israel"; the arms were described as "increasingly sophisticated".<ref name=twsDecZ16ad>{{cite news |author1=Scott Shane |author2=Andrew W. Lehren |title=Leaked Cables Offer Raw Look at U.S. Diplomacy |work=The New York Times |quote=...&nbsp;Cables describe the United States' failing struggle to prevent Syria from supplying arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has amassed a huge stockpile since its 2006 war with Israel.&nbsp;... information that Syria was providing increasingly sophisticated weapons to the group. |date= 28 November 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29cables.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2 |access-date=26 December 2010}}</ref> Gates added that Hezbollah is possibly armed with chemical or [[biological agent|biological weapons]], as well as {{convert|65|mi|km|adj=on}} anti-ship missiles that could threaten U.S. ships.<ref>Charley Keyes, [https://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/24/gates.speech/ "U.S. military needs flexibility due to poor predictions, Gates says"], CNN, 24 May 2011</ref>

{{as of|2017}}, the Israeli government believe Hezbollah had an arsenal of nearly 150,000 rockets stationed on its border with Lebanon.<ref>Danon, Danny.  [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/israel-deserves-a-seat-on-the-security-council-214986 "Israel Deserves a Seat on the Security Council."] ''Politico''. 5 April 2017. 6 April 2017.</ref> Some of these missiles are said to be capable of penetrating cities as far away as [[Eilat]].<ref name="Jpost">[http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=187022 Israeli US envoy: Hizbullah has 15,000 rockets on border]. ''The Jerusalem Post''. Retrieved 19 October 2010.</ref> The IDF has accused Hezbollah of storing these rockets beneath hospitals, schools, and civilian homes.<ref name="Jpost" /> Hezbollah has used drones against Israel, by penetrating air defense systems, in a report verified by Nasrallah, who added, "This is only part of our capabilities."<ref>{{cite news|title=IAF shoots down hostile drone from Lebanon off Haifa|url=http://www.jpost.com/Defense/IAF-shoots-down-drone-which-flew-south-from-Lebanon-311098|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|date=25 April 2013}}</ref>

Israeli military officials and analysts have drawn attention to the experience and weaponry Hezbollah would have gained from the involvement of thousands of its fighters in the Syrian Civil War. "This kind of experience cannot be bought", said Gabi Siboni, director of the military and strategic affairs program at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. "It is an additional factor that we will have to deal with. There is no replacement for experience, and it is not to be scoffed at."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|date=10 March 2014|title=Israel Watches Warily as Hezbollah Gains Battle Skills in Syria|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/11/world/middleeast/israel-watches-warily-as-hezbollah-gains-battle-skills-in-syria.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=27 August 2014|quote=[T]he only way for Mr. Assad, a longtime Hezbollah ally, to repay the group is by supplying it with sophisticated weapons.}}</ref>