IDF considers deploying captured Russian and Iranian weapons
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have seized a significant number of Russian and Iranian anti-tank systems belonging to Hezbollah, prompting severe consideration of repurposing them for their own use. This would be an intriguing, though not unprecedented, development in the history of Israel, currently one of the USA's most prominent allies.
The volatile situation in the Middle East has persisted since 7th October 2023, when Hamas militants launched a major attack on Israel. A day later, Hezbollah joined the conflict, and the IDF has now managed to infiltrate two of Hezbollah's underground bases in Lebanon. A brief video was posted online displaying fragments of the base searches and the weapons discovered there.
Discovery in Hezbollah bases in Lebanon
According to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, the local army initially planned to dispose of the captured weapons, but the scale of the acquisition has prompted a reassessment. The Russian and Iranian weapons seized from Hezbollah militants may be utilised by the newly established Israeli forces.
From the bases in Lebanon, the Israeli army is reported to have transported away "dozens of trucks," mainly loaded with anti-tank missile systems and their dedicated ammunition, as well as various types of rifles.
One of the most valuable acquisitions is the "Almas" family of anti-tank guided missiles, a newer type of weapon produced by Iran. Based on the Israeli Spike-LR anti-tank missile, they have a range of about 4 kilometres (in later versions, this was increased) and tandem warheads, which pose a significant threat to Israeli armoured vehicles. Regarding the weapons from Russia, the seized equipment primarily includes Kornet anti-tank missiles with a range of about 6 kilometres.
The portal Defence Express noted that the use of captured weapons by the Israeli army would not be without precedent. Similar circumstances arose after the Six-Day War (mainly concerning T-54/55 tanks) and later following the Yom Kippur War (including T-62 tanks). In the mid-seventies, captured tanks constituted about 20% of the IDF's armoured fleet, which now relies on indigenous Merkava tanks (insights from the Yom Kippur War influenced their development).
