The IDF found Russian-made weapons in Hezbollah stores in South Lebanon, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday. Among the weapons made in Russia were anti-tank missiles sent in recent years to Lebanon via Syria which had been receiving Russian weapons for years.
Israel had not been able to confirm the flow of Russian-made weapons to the Iran-backed terror group until its forces were on the ground in South Lebanon, the journal said.
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Hezbollah weapons seized by the IDF in Lebanon
(Photo: Maya Alleruzzo/Associated Press)
According to the outlet, citing a Syrian security official, some of the munitions, including anti-tank missiles manufactured as recently as 2020, were sent to the country from Russian stocks located in Syria. The news contradicts earlier Israeli assessment that the terror group only used Soviet era weapons from the 2006 Second Lebanon War in 2006.
The discoveries also increased fears in Israel, according to the Wall Street Journal, that Moscow was deepening relations with the Iran-backed group despite its insistence on neutrality in the conflict.
“Israel needs to be more assertive and defend its interests,” Arkady Mil-Man, a former Israeli ambassador to Russia, told the outlet.
“We must explain and convey to the Russians that we will no longer stand any assistance to Hezbollah and Iran that could hurt Israelis,” Mil-Man, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, said.
Both the Russian government and the Syrian foreign ministry refused to comment on the inquiry made by the Wall Street Journal.
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Hezbollah weapons seized by the IDF in Lebanon
(Photo: Maya Alleruzzo/Associated Press)
Russia's focus on the Middle East
According to the article, Russia's stance in the Middle East has shifted since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, despite Israel’s efforts to maintain friendly relations with Moscow, so as to avoid conflicts in Syria, where Russia has a strong military presence. Analysts told the outlet that Russia was now actively seeking to harass the U.S. and its allies wherever possible.
The report also detailed how the Russians provided aid in the form of munitions and military intelligence to Yemen’s Houthis, who have taken an active part in attacking Israel since the outset of the Gaza war on October 7. Moscow has also allegedly delivered anti-air defense systems to Hezbollah, thoughthere was no confirmation of the transaction, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The WSJ detailed Russia’s warming relations with Hamas since the start of the war, hosting its political leaders several times in Moscow while seeking to reconcile the terror group and Fatah.
Russia’s growing support comes against the backdrop of its deepening relations with Iran, who delivered the same drones and ballistic missiles to Moscow as it did to its proxy Hezbollah.
According to a report, Russia's involvement in Syria has had a ripple effect on the region’s military dynamics, particularly concerning Hezbollah's access to advanced weaponry. Russia deepened its ties with Syria following the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, intervening militarily to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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Hezbollah weapons seized by the IDF in Lebanon
(Photo: Maya Alleruzzo/Associated Press)
The outlet reported that Russia not only provided weapons to Syria but also maintained its own stockpiles in the country. Around 2015, Russian forces began collaborating with Hezbollah fighters on the ground, strengthening ties between the two groups.
Russian weapons make 70% of seized arms in Lebanon ground operation
According to Syrian security officials and an Arab official cited in the report, this relationship facilitated Hezbollah's access to Russian arms in Syria, including advanced weapon systems like antitank, antiaircraft and anti-ship missiles.
The frequency with which Hezbollah obtained Russian weapons remains unclear, according to the Wall Street Journal. Traditionally, much of Hezbollah's arsenal has come from its patron Iran. However, Israeli officials have reportedly found a significant number of Russian-made weapons in southern Lebanon during recent operations.
The outlet detailed a visit to Israel's National Munition Disassembly Lab, where seized materials from southern Lebanon are analyzed. The lab revealed an array of Russian weaponry, including Kornet and other guided antitank missile systems like Metis, Konkurs, Fagots and Saggers. These weapons were discovered in Hezbollah bunkers both above and below ground, less than a kilometer inside southern Lebanon an Israeli major told the Wall Street Journal.
According to the Israeli officer, Russian-made arms comprised 60-70% of the weapons seized in the early days of Israel’s recent invasion of southern Lebanon. IDF Reservists reportedly continue to encounter Russian weapons in the area.
From Moscow to Lebanon via Syria
While the exact methods by which Hezbollah acquired these arms remain uncertain, some of the captured weapons bore markings linking them to Russia’s shipments to Syria’s defense ministry.
The outlet reported that markings on some weapons, such as the Kornet, confirmed their Russian origin rather than being Iranian copies. One set of rockets even had labels in Russian indicating shipment to Syria.
However, not all seized weapons carried such identifiers. The timeline for these deliveries is unclear, but the report noted that some weapons were manufactured as recently as 2020, while others, like the Saggers, date back to the 1980s.
Fabian Hinz, a military research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, highlighted the importance of reliable, short-range missiles like the Kornet to Hezbollah’s operations.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Hinz said these weapons have enabled Hezbollah to carry out a more efficient campaign against Israel compared to Hamas, which primarily relies on less reliable Iranian-made versions.
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Hezbollah weapons seized by the IDF in Lebanon
(Photo: Maya Alleruzzo/Associated Press)
Adam Rousselle, a researcher at Militant Wire, noted that the Kornet and two other Russian-made antitank missiles seized by IDF forces have featured prominently in Hezbollah attack videos since October 7, 2023 and have played a significant role in Hezbollah’s military tactics.
An Israeli staff sergeant involved in medical evacuations in Lebanon described anti-tank missiles, including Kornets, as the most effective tools for targeting IDF soldiers and noted that these missiles can strike from a range of 7–8 kilometers (4.3–5 miles).
While Hezbollah has suffered setbacks from IDF military actions, the sergeant stressed its strength relative to Hamas, largely due to its advanced arsenal. The Wall Street Journal reported that the IDF has displayed weapons seized from Hezbollah during ongoing combat operations in Lebanon.
Israeli officials have pointed to two key objectives of their operations: neutralizing the threat posed by anti-tank missiles near Israeli communities and forcing Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force back north of the Litani River.
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Hezbollah weapons seized by the IDF in Lebanon
(Photo: Maya Alleruzzo/Associated Press)
The report also noted growing concerns among analysts and officials regarding Israel's diplomatic approach toward Russia. While many Western nations have provided military aid to Ukraine in its war against Moscow, Israel has limited its support to non-military aid, a stance believed to be influenced by its desire to avoid provoking Moscow.
Carmit Valensi, a senior researcher at the INSS, criticized this approach. “We need to sober up from this approach. It’s no longer just Russian support for the axis of resistance that is unconnected to Israel. We are meeting this in the battlefield and it is extracting casualties,” she said.
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