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Iran Sending Hizballah Anti-Aircraft Weapons

In a development that will likely have serious repurcussions over the chances for a cease-fire in Lebanon, it has been reported that terror group Hizballah has received a positive reply from the Islamic Republic of Iran for its request to be supplied with advanced anti-aircraft missile systems for use against Israeli forces. The news was revealed by the experts at Jane`s Defense Weekly. According to Jane`s, Hizballah asked its Iranian sponsors to "accelerate and extend the scope of weapon shipments from Iran to the Islamic Resistance, particularly advanced missiles against ground and air targets."

"Iranian authorities conveyed a message to the Hizballah leadership that their forces would continue to receive a steady supply of weapons systems," the report added. It is believed that Iran has already supplied the Shiite militia group with advanced anti-ship missiles, though whether Iranian Revolutionary Guards or Hizballah fired one of those anti-ship missiles that crippled an Israeli corvette off the coast of Lebanon during the opening days of the current Middle East war.

Though it possesses anti-ship capabilities for sea attacks, and anti-tank rockets on land, Hizballah has not been able to deter Israeli air power. Since the start of the conflict, the Israeli Air Force has ruled the skies over Lebanon. The IAF continues to pound targets throughout Lebanon, unhindered by any viable air defenses of Hizballah or the Lebanese Army. And so, a shipment of Russian-made surface-to-air missile systems is expected in the coming weeks to address that issue. What impact that may have on any cease-fire attempt is not known, but predictably grim.