(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Recently, the leader of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, issued a warning to the United States that the armed group possesses “something” for the warships deployed to the Middle East to “protect” Israel.
Nasrallah did not explicitly state what he meant, but sources in Lebanon indicate that Hezbollah now has improved anti-ship guided missile capabilities.
Previously, Hezbollah used anti-ship guided missiles made in China.
Nasrallah stated that the presence of U.S. warships, including the aircraft carriers USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their escorts, “never frightened him.”
“We have prepared something for the ships that threaten us,” he said in a recent speech.
Since 2006, Hezbollah’s anti-ship capabilities have reportedly multiplied, especially after successfully targeting an Israeli Navy Sa’ar-class corvette named “INS Hanit” enforcing a blockade off the coast of Lebanon.
At that time, Hezbollah used subsonic C-802 anti-ship guided missiles acquired from China through Iran to target the Israeli warship.
Sources reveal that Hezbollah is now equipped with P-800 Oniks (export variant Yakhont) anti-ship guided missiles from Russia.
These missiles, capable of supersonic speeds at Mach 2.5, can engage “enemy” ships up to 300 km away.
Hezbollah is believed to have obtained these Russian-made anti-ship guided missiles from Syria, supplied by Russia during the civil war in Syria about a decade ago.
Moscow confirmed the transfer of anti-ship cruise missiles to Damascus in 2010.
However, Hezbollah has not officially acknowledged possessing the P-800 Oniks anti-ship guided missiles.
Meanwhile, U.S. sources also state that Hezbollah possesses various types of weapons, including anti-ship guided missiles that could be used against the United States and Israel.
“We (the United States) do indeed pay serious attention to this (Hezbollah’s capability),” said a source to the international news agency Reuters.
The P-800 Oniks anti-ship guided missiles fly at low altitude (sea-skimming), staying just 10 to 15 meters above the surface to evade radar detection.
Developed in 1993, these missiles have undergone upgrades to enhance their lethality and make them more challenging to counter. — DSA
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