How Hezbollah Military Compares Against Israel?
How Hezbollah Military Compares Against Israel?
Transcript
00:00Hezbollah, meaning Party of God, is also a military wing in one of the largest non-state
00:05actor armies.
00:06It possesses an arsenal of missiles and rockets, hundreds of anti-aircraft trucks, an air defense
00:13system, dozens of Soviet-era tanks, and other troop carriers like this BMP.
00:20With thousands of soldiers on its payroll, Hezbollah is a driving force along with Russia
00:25in helping the Bashar al-Assad regime survive the civil war.
00:29Interestingly, Hezbollah is just a political party in Lebanon as stated, but some reports
00:35suggest it is almost equal in strength to the country's Lebanese army.
00:39It's almost like a country within a country in Lebanon.
00:42But it was also Iran that has funded Hezbollah, projecting its power and enabling it to hold
00:47proxy wars with Israel, so let's take a look at how it compares against each other.
00:53Hezbollah has 100,000 soldiers, but some reports suggest it's around 60,000, making
00:58it one of the world's most heavily armed non-state actors.
01:02In comparison, Israel has around 160,000 active personnel and a reserve force of around 500,000
01:09soldiers.
01:10Furthermore, Hezbollah has around 150,000 missiles, while Israel has at least 10 Iron
01:17Dome batteries in operation, each containing 60-80 interceptor missiles.
01:23But here's the catch.
01:25As we all know, in order to overwhelm the Iron Dome system, you need to fire around
01:295,000 missiles for a successful penetration.
01:32Let's assume Israel has around 5,000 missiles in storage, considering that the Iron Dome
01:37costs $50 million per battery and $100,000 per interceptor missile.
01:44If Hezbollah fires 5,000 missiles every day and the Israeli spends 150 missiles per 5,000,
01:51this means if we multiply 5,000 Hezbollah missiles into 30 days, it will be equal to
01:57150,000 missiles, that is their entire stockpile.
02:03For the Israeli Iron Dome, if Israel uses 150 missiles per day to intercept the 5,000
02:09missiles fired by Hezbollah, then over 30 days, the usage would be the following.
02:14This means if we multiply 150 Iron Dome missiles into 30 days, it will be equal to 4,500 missiles.
02:22Both party arsenal would be depleted in 30 days and war would stop and nobody emerges
02:26the winner.
02:27But this is the Middle East and as the saying goes, nobody can predict knows what would
02:31happen there.
02:34Let's look further at the types of missiles.
02:36As always, Soviet platforms are a favorite with the Katyusha rocket system, also known
02:41as Grad rockets, providing the backbone of the Lebanese outfit's unguided short-range
02:46rocket capabilities.
02:48But they have also received a variety of missiles from Iran, including versions of the Grad
02:51missiles and the famous homemade Qasem rockets of various kinds that can cost from $300 to $3,000.
03:00Let's take a look at how these low-budget rockets are made and operated.
03:03Rockets are launched from a simple steel frame for quick deployment and easy removal.
03:08A wire connected to a battery ignites the rocket's solid fuel propellant, which burns
03:12for a short time propelling the rocket upwards.
03:16After the burn, the rocket follows a predictable parabolic trajectory and impacts the ground
03:21at a consistent distance from the launch point.
03:24Here is the shrapnel or ball bearings, which play a crucial role in the rocket's destructive
03:28capabilities.
03:30Within the warhead of the Qasem rocket lies a combination of uranitrate and smuggled TNT,
03:35bolstered by additional shrapnel for maximum impact upon detonation.
03:39This is the fuse, a critical part of the rocket's design.
03:43It's a simple yet effective device consisting of an empty small arms cartridge filled with
03:47an explosive booster material.
03:50This material is set in motion by a spring-loaded nail, creating the mechanism that triggers
03:55the rocket's explosive payload on impact.
03:58When it follows a parabolic path, it descends head-on and activates the trigger fuse.
04:03The fuse sets off the warhead, a mixture of urea and TNT, creating an explosion and
04:09dispersing shrapnel.
04:11Hezbollah has dozens of Soviet-produced T-55 and T-72 main battle tanks acquired from Syria
04:17following the Russian intervention in support of Al-Assad's government.
04:21Meanwhile, Israel maintains an impressive tank fleet with an estimated inventory of
04:25over 2,200 tanks comprising modern and upgraded versions.
04:30However, we have to assume Hezbollah would be deploying these as sniper tanks, meaning
04:34they would use a shoot-and-scoot tactic.
04:37Here is how it would work.
04:38Let's assume Hezbollah has these tanks positioned in the hilly areas near the Golan Heights.
04:42They would take a position, shoot two or three rounds at an Israeli tank, and then move to
04:47another position.
04:49This is a tried and tested tank strategy designed to make the army appear larger, confusing
04:54the larger tank brigade, and then using infantry soldiers carrying RPGs to disable the tank.
05:00Let's take a look at the tanks Hezbollah acquired from Syria.
05:05The T-55 is an aging design that was first deployed in the 1950s, though it has received
05:10numerous upgrades.
05:11It is a medium-sized tank equipped with a 100mm rifled gun and relatively thick armor,
05:18providing effective protection against smaller-caliber anti-tank weapons.
05:22Though the T-55 is heavily outmatched by more modern tanks, it is simple, durable, and easy
05:27to maintain, still providing Hezbollah with reasonable firepower.
05:31The T-72, meanwhile, represents an evolution in Soviet tank design, featuring improved
05:36armor, a more powerful 125mm gun, and enhanced mobility.
05:42Its composite armor and improved fire control system provide better protection and accuracy
05:46compared to the T-55, and the vehicle requires just three crew members to operate one fewer
05:52than the T-55.
05:53This is the Israeli Merkava MBT, one of the most unique main battle tanks, as it has the
05:58ability to carry up to six infantry soldiers.
06:01Yes, you read that correctly, six infantry soldiers.
06:05Meanwhile, it maintains a crew of four, a configuration similar to other MBT.
06:10Apart from being a troop carrier, it is also a main battle tank, so you need very good
06:14firepower.
06:16At the forefront, you'll notice the impressive 120mm smoothbore gun.
06:21Just beside it is the coaxial machine gun, hidden inside this turret.
06:25Continuing further, you'll find the .50 caliber mount, primarily used by the gunner for engaging
06:30infantry targets.
06:31This is the gunner's primary sight, with a ballistic shield cover.
06:34Moving further towards the back, you can see the .50 caliber machine gun, which is operated
06:39by the commander.
06:40As we shift to the side, we encounter the commander-independent thermal viewer.
06:44Moving back to Hezbollah weaponry, Hezbollah also benefits from a significant number of
06:49armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.
06:52The primary IFV utilized by Hezbollah is the BMP-1, another Soviet creation acquired via
06:58Syria, which was one of the first IFVs ever deployed.
07:02Combining the maneuverability and light armor of an APC with heavier weapons akin to a tank,
07:08the BMP-1 was a revolutionary vehicle, offering troop transport capabilities coupled with
07:13considerable firepower.
07:15It is fitted with a 73mm gun capable of firing high explosive rounds as well as anti-tank
07:20munitions, and it comes standard with a coaxial machine gun.
07:27Hezbollah also has dedicated anti-aircraft guns from the early 1950s, such as the Zyushka-23
07:33or Zyu-23.
07:34This is a dual-mounted gun with a very high rate of fire, making it very effective against
07:39aircraft and even capable of destroying tanks.
07:43These guns are usually stationary, but the Soviets found that mounting them on medium
07:47trucks proved beneficial for shoot-and-scoot capabilities.
07:51Hezbollah has gone further by mounting them on pickup trucks, such as this Toyota version.
07:55For some reason, these pickup trucks seem to have become the mainstay of many militant
07:59groups in this area.
08:02Reports suggest that Hezbollah also possesses the Pantsir-S1 system.
08:06This advanced system uses a combination of six medium-range missiles and this two-dual
08:1130mm autocannon guns located here.
08:14At $20 million, these medium-range anti-aircraft systems provide a significant advantage.
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