Source: IDF destroyed most of Hezbollah's long-range missiles

[JohnLocke]

Source: IDF destroyed most of Hezbollah's long-range missiles
By Amos Harel, Aluf Benn and Eli Ashkenazi -- Haaretz
Monday, July 31, 2006
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The Israel Defense Forces has destroyed an estimated two-thirds of Hezbollah's long-range missile capabilities, a senior government official said Monday.
The Iranian-supplied Zelzal-2 missiles have a range of 200 km (125 miles) and are believed to be capable of carrying biological or chemical warheads.
"We know how many of them we destroyed and we know how many they shot," the official said.
"But one-third is a lot. That can cause a lot of damage if they are launched," the official added.
The official said that according to estimates, Hezbollah retains 9,000-10,000 122-mm diameter Katyusha rockets and hundreds of rocket launchers.
Most of the rockets launched at northern Israel in recent weeks were Katyushas.
Hezbollah still has the ability to launch 302-mm diameter rockets like those which landed in Afula, and which can reach even further into Israel.
Since Israel Air Force planes bombed the launch site used to fire rockets at Afula, no rockets of the larger type have been launched.
Still, Hezbollah retains rockets and launchers of a similar type, and the groups which fire them retains fighting capability. These rockets, which Hezbollah calls "Khaiber 1", have a range of 90-115 km.
Government sources say Hezbollah still has half of its original inventory of 220-km rockets. Still, they believe Syria to be actively supplying the group.
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