[Lauren Taylor]

ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SAY THEY HAVE UNCOVERED A SIGNIFICANT CACHE OF ADVANCED WEAPONS IN SOUTHERN LEBANON, REVEALING ALARMING DETAILS ABOUT HEZBOLLAH’S GROWING MILITARY CAPABILITIES. MANY OF THESE WEAPONS ARE RUSSIAN-MADE, AND THEIR PRESENCE HAS SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE REGION’S SECURITY, ACCORDING TO THE I-D-F.

THE DISCOVERIES WERE MADE DURING AN ONGOING GROUND OPERATION BY ISRAELI FORCES IN SOUTHERN LEBANON. ACCORDING TO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE IDF HAS SEIZED A VARIETY OF ADVANCED WEAPONS, INCLUDING KORNET ANTI-TANK MISSILES MANUFACTURED AS RECENTLY AS 2020. THESE MISSILES, ALONG WITH OTHER GUIDED SYSTEMS, WERE REPORTEDLY TRANSPORTED FROM RUSSIA, THROUGH SYRIA, AND INTO LEBANON.  

MILITARY ANALYSTS SAY THAT THESE WEAPONS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY BOLSTERED HEZBOLLAH’S ABILITY TO ATTACK ISRAELI FORCES. THE KORNET MISSILES, IN PARTICULAR, HAVE BEEN FREQUENTLY USED AGAINST IDF SOLDIERS, THE JOURNAL REPORTS.  

OFFICIALS NOTE WHAT’S MORE CONCERNING IS THE SCALE OF THESE FINDINGS. REPORTS INDICATE THAT 60 TO 70 PERCENT OF THE WEAPONS CONFISCATED DURING THE INITIAL STAGES OF THE OPERATION ARE RUSSIAN-MADE.  

FOR YEARS, ISRAEL HAD BEEN AWARE OF HEZBOLLAH’S POSSESSION OF SOVIET-ERA WEAPONS, WHICH ARE LESS SOPHISTICATED. HOWEVER, THE GROUND OPERATION HAS EXPOSED THE EXTENT OF HEZBOLLAH’S ARSENAL OF NEWER AND MORE ADVANCED RUSSIAN WEAPONRY. 

AS ISRAEL ADVANCES INTO SOUTHERN LEBANON… HEZBOLLAH CONTINUES TO ESCALATE ITS CAPABILITIES. THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY AND THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE ALL HAVE NOT COMMENTED AT THIS TIME.  

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M LAUREN TAYLOR. 

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