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Hizbullah Saw New War with Israel as Inevitable and Rearmed for Months
(Reuters) Laila Bassam - Hizbullah spent months restocking its arsenal of rockets and drones, using support from Iran and its own weapons factories to prepare for a new war with Israel, six sources said. It had drawn on a monthly budget of $50 million, most of it from Iran and earmarked for fighters' salaries. A foreign official said the group had stationed new rockets and Iranian-made logistical materials in southern Lebanon before the latest war began. Israeli military spokesperson Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani said Hizbullah "had a lot of arms left." Hizbullah launched 60 drones and rockets on March 2 and a similar number the following day. But on March 4, Hizbullah launched more than double that number. ALMA, an Israeli think tank that monitors security on Israel's northern border, said Hizbullah's current arsenal included 25,000 rockets and missiles, most of them short- and medium-range. Hizbullah has also dispatched fighters from its Radwan force back to southern Lebanon. They had been withdrawn from the area after the 2024 conflict. The group lost 5,000 fighters in the 2024 war.