In an effort to counter an Islamist extremist group, the US provided Israel with an additional $1 billion in weaponry in May, bringing the total military aid to Israel this year to $12.5 billion, according to a new report. A huge new stock of weaponry including thousands of 2,000-lb bombs, among other explosives, as the Middle Eastern nation sets it’s sites on an Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon.
After over eight months of simmering conflict, Israel and Hezbollah are on the brink of full-scale war. Despite efforts from the United States and the international community to broker peace and push for a diplomatic solution, the two continue to trade destructive rocket fire.
While tensions between Israel and it’s northern neighbor have long been frayed, the October 7 terrorist attacks by the Palestinian terror group Hamas has caused an escalation across the region.
Smoke in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon after Israel rockets strike Hezbollah targets ( Image: Getty Images)
The arsenal sent from America to its ally included 14,000 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 small-diameter bombs, and other munitions, according to officials who spoke to Reuters, who originally reported it.
The MK84 (the 2,000 lb bombs) are designed for “soft and intermediately protected targets. The destruction mechanism of the MK84 is blast and fragmentation. Ideal targets for this weapon are buildings, rail yards, and lines of communication,” according to the Army Executive Office.
Israeli Iron Dome system stopping Hezbollah rockets ( Image: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock)
The 500-lb bombs are for “targets such as troops, POL, and radars. The Air Force is the primary user.” This weapon is “not intended for hard targets or penetrations.” Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles are true to their name, meant to cause little outside damage.
Small-diameter bombs are also used “for precision,” and bunker-blast bombs are also, true to their name, being used to take apart the thousands of miles of Hamas-built tunnels under Israel.
As of 29 May 2024, according to OCHA, 88 Lebanese civilians have been killed including 39 women and children, three journalists and 19 militia-linked first responders. In Israel, At least 65,000 civilians have been displaced in a mass evacuation from northern Israel and ten Israeli civilians and 14 soldiers have been killed.
There’s also been massive damage on both ends, with rockets causing forests to burn in Israel and olive trees to burn in Lebanon, on top of damaged homes and neighborhoods.
If war does break out, Israel will face a much more formidable adversary in Lebanon’s Hezbollah than it did with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah issued a warning to Israel last week, stating that his group has new weapons and capabilities. The group has also released drone footage taken deep inside northern Israel, showing the port of Haifa and other sites far from the Lebanon-Israel border.
Established in 1982 during Lebanon’s civil war, Hezbollah initially aimed to end Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon, a goal it achieved in 2000. As part of the Iranian-backed Axis of Resistance, the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah was the first group Iran supported as a means to spread its brand of political Islamism.
In its early days, Hezbollah targeted US interests, leading Washington to label it a terrorist organization. “Iran’s support has helped Hezbollah consolidate its position as Lebanon’s most powerful political actor as well as the most-equipped military actor supported by Iran in the whole of the Middle East,” said Lina Khatib, the director of the SOAS Middle East Institute in London.
In 2006, Hezbollah fighters ambushed an Israeli patrol and took two soldiers hostage, leading to a month-long war. Despite widespread destruction in southern Lebanon due to Israeli bombardment, Hezbollah emerged stronger and became a significant military and political power on Israel’s northern border.
Critics at home have slammed Hezbollah for maintaining its arsenal and dominating the government. The group’s reputation took a hit when it briefly seized a part of Beirut in May 2008 following the Lebanese government’s actions against its private telecommunications network.
Hezbollah’s military capabilities have grown significantly, playing a crucial role in the Syrian civil war and helping keep President Bashar al-Assad in power. It has also trained Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Hezbollah is considered the Arab world’s most formidable paramilitary force with a strong internal structure and a large arsenal. Israel views it as its most immediate threat, estimating that it possesses around 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided ones.
