IDF: Israel in range of nearly 65,000 Hezbollah, Iran, Syria missiles

Some 3,500 missiles in Syria and Iran are currently aimed at Israel, while Hezbollah is developing drones and sea-to-air missiles, Brig. Gen. Itay Baron, head of the IDF Military Intelligence research section, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday.

Hezbollah has some 60,000 rockets and missiles - 10 times what it had in the 2006 Second Lebanon War, IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Naveh said at a Zichron Yaakov convention.

Baron told the Knesset committee that Hezbollah, Hamas and Syria are all trying to find ways to undermine Israel's military and technological superiority to damage Israel's weak spot, the home front. Baron added that all three are constructing military systems that would exhaust Israel's civilian populations, while augmenting their ability to absorb Israeli attacks by arming themselves with masses of rockets and missiles. Hezbollah, while developing drones for offensive purposes, has already received sea-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, as well as explosives and camouflage equipment. Baron added that Iran has an arsenal of 450 missiles in striking distance of Israel. Syria has 3,000 rockets and missiles, covering ranges from 70 to 700 kilometers. Baron said the missiles were not very precise, but the surface-to-air Russian-made defense systems were quite technologically advanced.

[link to www.haaretz.com]