Israeli forces operating in Southern Lebanon have found a far greater amount of Russian weaponry there than the military had expected, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Some of the weapons, which include modern anti-tank missiles, came from Russian stockpiles in neighboring Syria, according to the report, which cited Syrian security officials and an Arab official.
The sheer amount of modern Russian armaments now known to have been in Hezbollah’s possession has sparked concern that Moscow’s relationship with the Lebanese terrorist organization may be closer than previously assumed, the report said.
As much as 60% to 70% of the weaponry found during the first days of the Israeli ground operation were Russian-made, an Israeli officer told the Journal.
The Russian and Syrian governments didn’t respond to a request for comment, while the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment.
Israel has tried with little success to maintain good relations with Moscow in recent years due to Russia’s military presence in Syria, walking a diplomatic tightrope during the Russia-Ukraine war.
Since it began launching attacks on Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after the Hamas terror group’s invasion of southern Israel, Hezbollah has fired some 16,000 projectiles at the Jewish state. Tens of thousands of Israelis remain internally displaced due to the ongoing fighting, with scores of rockets fired from Lebanon at northern Israel daily.
U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein arrived back in Beirut on Tuesday to advance diplomatic efforts toward a ceasefire, and to narrow the remaining gaps between the two sides.
