Weapons Used by Hezbollah Against Israel, October 8, 2023 to November 27, 2024

Hezbollah chart for the first anniversary of the fighting (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, October 8, 2024)

Hezbollah chart for the first anniversary of the fighting (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, October 8, 2024)

Hezbollah chart of its attacks prior to the ceasefire (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, November 28, 2024)

Hezbollah chart of its attacks prior to the ceasefire (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, November 28, 2024)

Russian Konkurs ATGMs, part of a shipment from the Syrian Army to Hezbollah (IDF spokesperson, October 24, 2024)

Russian Konkurs ATGMs, part of a shipment from the Syrian Army to Hezbollah (IDF spokesperson, October 24, 2024)

Hezbollah weapons confiscated by the IDF in south Lebanon (IDF spokesperson, December 25, 2024).

Hezbollah weapons confiscated by the IDF in south Lebanon (IDF spokesperson, December 25, 2024).

Launching a Sagger missile at IDF forces (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, May 29, 2024)

Launching a Sagger missile at IDF forces (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, May 29, 2024)

Jihad-1 rocket.

Jihad-1 rocket.

Double RPG launcher (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, November 1, 2024)

Double RPG launcher (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, November 1, 2024)

Overview[1]
  • Between October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah first attacked Israel “to support” the Gaza Strip during the Hamas terrorist attack and massacre which began the previous day, and the ceasefire which went into effect on November 27, 2024, the organization used a wide range of weapons to attack Israeli civilian and military targets. It used various types of rockets, ballistic missiles, UAVs, anti-tank missiles, artillery shells and surface-to-air missiles.
  • Hezbollah deployed its forces in such a way that each escalation saw the introduction of new weapons intended to increase the range, effectiveness and intensity of its attacks on Israel.
  • The vast majority of the weapons were manufactured in Iran and Russia and smuggled to Hezbollah via direct flights from Iran or convoys passing through Syrian territory; the organization also produced its own weapons.
  • This study reviews the weapons used by Hezbollah beginning on October 8, 2023.
  • The variety of weapons used by Hezbollah reflected the organization’s advanced military capabilities acquired in the years between the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and the start of the fighting in October 2023, as well as its operational capabilities against Israel, both near the border and in its ability to threaten targets deep within Israel. Despite the extensive damage inflicted by the IDF on Hezbollah’s weapons capabilities during the current conflict, in ITIC assessment the organization still possesses capabilities and knowledge which will enable it to continue posing a threat unless it is completely disarmed throughout Lebanon.
Distribution of Hezbollah’s Weapons
  • Since Hezbollah attacked Israel on October 8, 2023, claiming support for the Gaza Strip, the organization has used a variety of weapons against Israeli military and civilian targets, including standard and improvised rockets, various types of missiles, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), artillery shells, recoilless guns, mortar shells, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), suicide drones and surface-to-air missiles. The IDF foiled an attempt to launch a Russian DR-3 cruise missile at Israel in early September 2024.
  • According to Hezbollah’s policy of deploying its forces, the organization gradually escalated its attacks, resorting to the excuse that Israeli strikes had violated Hezbollah’s unilaterally imposed “equation of deterrence,” often during escalations in the war in the Gaza Strip or following the elimination of senior Hezbollah commanders. The escalation was manifested by the introduction of new, advanced precision weapons alongside an increase in the number of launches and the intensity and geographical range of attacks. [2]
  • On October 8, 2024, to mark the first anniversary of Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel in support of Operation al-Aqsa Flood, the organization published a chart summarizing its operations against Israel from October 8, 2023, to October 8, 2024. Hezbollah claimed to have carried out 3,194 attacks, including 1,040 attacks on military forces, 964 attacks on military positions, bases, equipment and airfields, and 570 attacks on civilian “settlements.”[3] It claimed to have carried out 1,305 rocket launches (a number representing launches rather than rockets fired), 760 anti-tank missile launches, 589 artillery shell launches, 184 launches of unspecified “guided weapons,” 221 UAV launches, 97 sniper and machine gun incidents, 77 launches of anti-aircraft measures, and 94 launches of unspecified “suitable weapons” (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, October 8, 2024).
Hezbollah chart for the first anniversary of the fighting (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, October 8, 2024)
Hezbollah chart for the first anniversary of the fighting
(Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, October 8, 2024)
  • Hezbollah also published a chart entitled “The Campaign of the Most Resilient,” summarizing its operations against Israel from September 17, 2024, when the escalation in fighting began following the detonation of Hezbollah operatives’ pagers,[4] until the ceasefire in Lebanon went into effect on November 27, 2024, at 4:00 a.m. According to the chart, the organization carried out 1,666 attacks, averaging 23 per day. Targets included 211 IDF bases, 111 camps, 420 positions, 147 posts along the Israel-Lebanon border, 540 settlements, 17 military factories and defense companies, and 10 airports. During the attacks, there were 1,285 rocket and missile launches, along with 93 launches of artillery shells. There were 166 UAV strikes, 34 surface-to-air missile launches, 86 strikes using guided missiles, 16 attacks with sniper rifles and machine guns, and 11 attacks with “direct” weapons (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, November 28, 2024).
Hezbollah chart of its attacks prior to the ceasefire (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, November 28, 2024)
Hezbollah chart of its attacks prior to the ceasefire
(Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, November 28, 2024)
  • During the IDF maneuver in south Lebanon, approximately 85,000 Hezbollah weapons were seized, including 6,840 RPG launchers, anti-tank missiles, missile launchers, 2,250 artillery shells and steep-trajectory missiles, 2,700 small arms and 60 surface-to-air missiles (IDF spokesperson, December 25, 2024).
  • Although Iran is considered the primary supplier of Hezbollah’s weapons, between 60 and 70% of the weapons discovered in south Lebanon were of Russian manufacture, including advanced equipment such as anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) manufactured in 2020. In all probability, the weapons came from the Syrian military’s stockpiles (under Bashar al-Assad’s regime) and from Russian army depots stationed in Syria (Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2024; Haaretz, December 8, 2024).
Russian Konkurs ATGMs, part of a shipment from the Syrian Army to Hezbollah (IDF spokesperson, October 24, 2024)    Hezbollah weapons confiscated by the IDF in south Lebanon (IDF spokesperson, December 25, 2024).
Right: Hezbollah weapons confiscated by the IDF in south Lebanon (IDF spokesperson, December 25, 2024).
Left: Russian Konkurs ATGMs, part of a shipment from the Syrian Army to Hezbollah (IDF spokesperson, October 24, 2024)

[1] Click https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en to subscribe and receive the ITIC's daily updates as well as its other publications.
[2] For further information, see the July 2024 ITIC report, "Hezbollah’s Policy for the Use of Force against Israel."
[3] Israeli cities, towns and villages.
[4] For further information, see the September 2024 ITIC report, "Hezbollah Communications Devices Explode."