New Arms For Hezbollah?

Iran to Supply Hezbollah with Surface to Air missiles

LONDON (AFP) - Iran will supply Hezbollah with surface-to-air missile systems in the coming months, boosting the guerrillas' defenses against Israeli aircraft, according to a report by specialist magazine Jane's Defense Weekly, citing unnamed Western diplomatic sources.

In a meeting, held late last month, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim militia called on Tehran to "accelerate and extend the scope of weapon shipments from Iran to the Islamic Resistance, particularly advanced missiles against ground and air targets."

Hezbollah's representatives pressed for "an array of more advanced weaponry, including more advanced SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems," Jane's said Friday.

"Iranian authorities conveyed a message to the Hezbollah leadership that their forces would continue to receive a steady supply of weapons systems,"it added.

"The details coming from the meeting reveal that they are about ensuring a constant supply of weapons to support Islamic Resistance operations against Israel," said
Robin Hughes, the magazine's Middle East Editor.

"We are told the latest meeting was attended by senior representatives of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Qods force which is responsible for training and logistic support for Iranian-backed insurgent groups."

According to Jane's Defense Weekly, Iranian authorities have supplied the militia with Iranian-made Noor radar-guided anti-ship cruise missiles and Chinese QW-1 (Vanguard) shoulder-launched SAMs.

Russian-made SAMs will reportedly be supplied at a later date.

Hezbollah and Iran seem very confident of their ability to smuggle in the weapons despite Israel efforts at destroying Lebanese roads and bridges (probably because Hezbollah would not smuggle its stuff on main roads, which is the sad part for the Lebanese) that connect to Syria.

Up to now, with its limited weapons, Hezbollah has managed to fend of the IDF and survive the IAF missile strikes. If indeed more sophisticated rockets, and especially more sophisticated surface-to-air missiles are given to Hezbollah than that might seriously change even the current calculus.

Risks associated with air strikes in Lebanon will increase, and while it might not directly effect ground troop operations by the IDF, it is the case that IDF soldiers often rely on and use close air support in fighting Hezbollah. IDF soldiers call in air-strikes on Hezbollah positions it has identified.

Such operations will run into more problems, and they are not exactly progressing as fast or as successfully as they had expected.

We have heard all the time of Israel bombing infrastructure targets (roads, bridges etc...) at much cost to Lebanon and its people as a whole, the reason given is to prevent resupply of Hezbollah from Syria and Iran.

My question when I read this article is: Why is Iran and Hezbollah so damn confident of its abilities to receive the new arms and resupply as if Israel's attempts to stop such a thing are of little consequence?

Is Israel being effective in their campaign to stop this?