The Israel Defense Forces displayed German Nazi-era firearms captured from Hezbollah, alongside additional seized Iranian-made weapons, at the Tzrifin Base on Monday.
“These Nazi guns were made in factories of the German military industry. They were found in warehouses and buildings in Lebanon and were probably used for psychological effect,” Lt. Col. (res.) Idan Sharon-Kottler, commander of the IDF Enemy Equipment Collection Unit, told The Press Service of Israel.
“They were not in active use, no one makes ammunition for these weapons anymore,” he added.
The weapons included one MG34 machine gun made in 1939 and two MP40 guns made in 1934-35, each with a swastika and Nazi eagle visible.
Also visibly engraved on each gun was an X, which Sharon-Kettler said were presumably made by Russian soldiers to mark military spoils during World War II.
Other equipment on display included rocket launchers, an Iranian Badr missile, Iranian-made firearms and camouflage uniforms.
“It shows the vast range of Hezbollah weapons and their procurement process,” said Sharon-Kottler.
He added the quantities seized were significant.
“These are only samples,” he told TPS-IL, without elaborating further on the full scope of the seized materials.
