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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. (AP)
Last update - 11:18 10/02/2008
IDF says Hezbollah Katyushas, missiles back in S. Lebanon
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Hezbollah, IDF, Lebanon 

Hezbollah has managed to deploy large numbers of Katyusha rockets and
anti-tank missiles in southern Lebanon, senior Israel Defense Forces officials have told Haaretz. These weapons in Shi'ite villages have been undetected by UN observers, the officials say.

They say the weapons have been smuggled south of the Litani River despite the increased presence of the United Nations Forces Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) since the end of the Second Lebanon War.
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The sources add that Hezbollah's reluctance to use the weapons since the war ended a year and a half ago reflects the strong blow the IDF dealt the militant group and that Israel's deterrence has not been diminished.

At the end of the war the Lebanese army was deployed in the south of the
country in accordance with UN resolution 1701. There is also an increased UN presence. The IDF has said that Hezbollah has systematically smuggled arms to the area in trucks marked as delivering civilian supplies. Most of the weapons are estimated to have arrived from Iran via Syria.

Hezbollah has also had to deal with a ban on rebuilding its string of outposts along the border with Israel that were destroyed during the war. To gather information on the IDF, the organization has sent groups of agents disguised as media teams to film activity on the Israeli border.

Since the war ended, UNIFIL has completed probing Hezbollah strongholds near the border where the group had built an array of bunkers and camouflaged Katyusha rocket launchers. Hezbollah has now placed most of its launchers north of the Litani and has hidden a large number of them in Shi'ite villages south of the river. The group has managed to replenish its stocks of rockets and missiles depleted during the fighting. New missiles sent by Iran are capable of striking targets south of the Tel Aviv area, army officials say.

Amassing anti-tank missiles in villages south of the Litani shows that the
organization thinks the IDF will not hesitate to launch a ground operation in the event of renewed hostilities. Massive use of such missiles would slow down any IDF advance into Lebanon. But the placement of such weapons in villages is also a weak point in Hezbollah's strategy and would lead to massive destruction of civilian areas in any fighting.

Many of the villages in the south have not yet been rebuilt. IDF top brass claim that a fear of destruction and the organization's difficulty in recruiting and training new fighters have dissuaded Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah from instigating limited attacks on Israel, as the group often did in the Har Dov area.

Though Hezbollah says only 250 of its members were killed in the fighting, Israeli intelligence estimates that some 600 died and another 1,000 were wounded.

"It's true that Hezbollah is raising its flag along the border," an IDF
official said. "But in a year and a half not one of our soldiers on the border has sustained even a scratch. During the entire period only two rockets have been launched by an extremist group unaffiliated to Hezbollah," the official added.

"Of course, that may change tomorrow. Hezbollah, for its own reasons, has not changed its jihadist ideology that calls for our destruction, but refraining from launching attacks testifies to the blow it suffered during the war and, for now, it has refrained from launching a new round."

Related articles:
  • UNIFIL steps up supervision to deter Hezbollah re-armament
  • UNIFIL official denies report of arms smuggling to S. Lebanon
  • Olmert: Lebanese army, UNIFIL are keeping Hezbollah in check
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      1.   Hezbollah rockets 03:05  |  Sami 10/02/08
      2.   Carthage must be destroyed. 03:22  |  Cato the Elder 10/02/08
      3.   Resolute Cowering 03:53  |  Born In The USA 10/02/08
      4.   Who is the terrorist? 03:54  |  Someone 10/02/08
      5.   If there is a next war, Lebanese Civlians must not complain 04:00  |  * BEN JABO 10/02/08
      6.   Seeing how "successful" UNIFIL is, Israel decides international 04:01  |  Jon 10/02/08
      7.   useless UNIFIL, send them home! 04:13  |  Cristo 10/02/08
      8.   rubbish 04:20  |  les 10/02/08
      9.   And where is the Lebanese army in all this? 04:20  |  Conroy 10/02/08
      10.   Don`t worry, Hizbollah will act in their own time 07:31  |  Natallie Durson 10/02/08
      11.   A little Optimistic 07:36  |  Ron 10/02/08
      12.   senior Israel Defense Forces officials 07:44  |  newsreader 10/02/08
      13.   and Livni wants useless UNIFIL in Gaza. 08:02  |  Avi 10/02/08
      14.   Nothing surprising here... 08:25  |  nn 10/02/08
      15.   If Hizbollah attacks again, flatten Lebanon 08:59  |  Warrior 10/02/08
      16.   The Hizbullah. 09:13  |  Malka Ziv 10/02/08
      17.   When will you learn? 09:18  |  Moshe 10/02/08
      18.   You mean its time for Israel to strike again? 09:35  |  Palestinian Brit 10/02/08
      19.   All in due time 09:51  |  Al 10/02/08
      20.   Smuggled weapons shows how INEFFECTIVE UNIFIL is 10:04  |  The Archives 10/02/08
      21.   #9 Palestinian Brit 10:37  |  * BEN JABO 10/02/08
      22.   GO RESISTANCE GOOOOO 12:24  |  Mirna 10/02/08
      23.   So What, Stay Out of Lebanon and You Won`t Get Beaten Again 12:33  |  Lev Bronstein 10/02/08
      24.   They have every right to arm and rearm and rearm 12:36  |  KMS 10/02/08
      25.   DUHHHHH.... 13:44  |  Nechama 10/02/08
      26.   #24 KMS 13:50  |  Moshe 10/02/08
      27.   BRONSTEIN.So what?Do not attack Israel,You won`t get bombed again 13:52  |  PETER SM 10/02/08
      28.   #23 14:13  |  Moshe 10/02/08
      29.   PAL.Brit Every time Hesballah decides to attack Israelis 14:16  |  PETER SM 10/02/08
      30.   to # 25 14:20  |  Libanese resistance 10/02/08
      31.   UNIFIL.! Watchdogs or Spectators.? 15:11  |  Stephen. 10/02/08
      32.   They need a defense against Israeli aggression in Lebanon 15:11  |  POP 10/02/08
      33.   Governments 15:21  |  Shalit 10/02/08
      34.   #10 nuttalie don`t worry,israel will kick their asses again 16:53  |  terrornator 10/02/08
      35.   Yes, and I don`t eat between the times that I eat 17:22  |  Dan 10/02/08
      36.   Remember, the Lebanese Shia slogan? `We are all Hezbollallas? 17:26  |  we are all Israelies 10/02/08
      37.   Is it only traditional Katyusha that they deployed ? 17:29  |  Jack 10/02/08
      38.   And they really think they will be able to stop the IDF next time 17:33  |  Dan 10/02/08
      39.   Pal Brit you mean it`s time for Hezbo to kidnap and kill 17:36  |  Dan 10/02/08
      40.   Mirna, go resistance go, but what exactly are you resisting? 17:38  |  Just curious 10/02/08
      41.   Lev Bronstein, if they attack and kill us we will be back 18:02  |  Dan 10/02/08
      42.   How to deal with the northern problem 18:11  |  Tosefta 10/02/08
      43.   # 23. Lev..(?) New spokesperson for whom.? 19:02  |  Stephen. 10/02/08
      44.   if uk muslims living in the heart of northern european wealth 19:25  |  bedlam 10/02/08
      45.   # 18 Pal Brit...Lebanese MP Jumblatt and Hariri 19:27  |  Lynn 10/02/08
      46.   So another war aim of Israel is achieved 19:27  |  PETER SM 10/02/08
      47.   Political animals 19:29  |  Tritz Feich 10/02/08
      48.   to tosefta 19:30  |  bedlam 10/02/08
      49.   Hezbullah Rockets in Southern Lebanon 19:49  |  Scott Havsy 10/02/08
      50.   Pathetic UN cowed to hsboliar 19:49  |  Adrian de Klerk 10/02/08
      51.   tosefta how long for the syrians to evolve ? 20:03  |  charlie darwin 10/02/08
      52.   tosefta would you bet your life on hamas evolving? 20:13  |  charlie darwin 10/02/08
      53.   Amos Harel: NEW PROPAGANDA CHIEF OF ISRAELI MILITARY 20:31  |  JACKAL 10/02/08
      54.   The anti-missile shield in Europe..... 20:55  |  Moshe Goldberg 10/02/08
      55.   JACKAL WHO IS GUARDING PAKISTANI MISSILES& NUKES? 21:13  |  PETER SM 10/02/08
      56.   FAKE PETER SM @46 Hesballah stopped firing didn`t they? 21:52  |  PETER SM 10/02/08
      57.   Iran/syria 21:53  |  Paul 10/02/08
      58.   God bless lebanon 21:59  |  northern wind 10/02/08
      59.   Re 55: GET OUT OF YOUR HOLE IN MELBOURNE 22:15  |  JACKAL 10/02/08
      60.   When will the Hizballah Katyushas be fire again? 22:24  |  Tosefta 10/02/08
      61.   #56 Fake PETER SM 22:32  |  PETER SM 10/02/08
      62.   #56 Peter Sm Fake or otherwise 22:45  |  Munsel 10/02/08
      63.   tosefta "i assume war will happen before israel has operational 22:55  |  giora 10/02/08
      64.   # 46 PETER SM...I am confused.Peter SM,Is #46 You? 22:56  |  KATHY 10/02/08
      65.   tosefta tries to scare isreal 23:00  |  yirmi 10/02/08
      66.   tosefta "give the golan up otherwise you will lose it" 23:04  |  davidi 10/02/08
      67.   tosefta and assad 23:09  |  davidi 10/02/08
      68.   If war with Hezbollah is thus inevitable 23:16  |  realist 10/02/08
      69.   # 60, They will be "fire" when the IAF blows them up where they 23:35  |  sit. KABOOOM 10/02/08
      70.   FAKE@61 ARABS do not have enquiries so they always win.! 00:19