Hezbollah may have Russian Yakhont (or P-800 Oniks) anti-ship missiles at its disposal, which it can use against American warships.
Source: Reuters with reference to sources
Details: The publication notes that Hezbollah leader Sayed Hassan Nasrallah last week warned Washington that his group has “something against American ships” deployed in the region after war broke out last month between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel .
Two knowledgeable Lebanese sources said he was referring to Hezbollah’s greatly enhanced anti-ship missile capabilities, including Russian-made Yakhont missiles with a range of 300 km.
Media reports and analysts have indicated for years that Hezbollah acquired Yakhont missiles from Syria.
Hezbollah has never confirmed that it owns these weapons.
One of the sources said Hezbollah’s anti-ship capabilities have grown significantly since 2006, when the group first demonstrated it could hit a ship at sea by hitting an Israeli warship in the Mediterranean.
“There is Yakhont, and, of course, there are other things besides it,” the source said, without specifying details.
The source added that the use of these weapons by Hezbollah against warships would mean that the conflict has escalated into a major regional war.
Three current and one former U.S. officials said Hezbollah has built an impressive array of weapons, including anti-ship missiles.
#Hezbollah #Russian #missiles #hit #ships #Reuters
2023-11-09 03:58:28
