'Hizbullah has 10,000 operatives manning 40,000 missiles'

French daily 'Le Figaro' reveals new information on military structure of Shi'ite group, including transport and manufacture of rockets.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Hizbullah Rockets 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Hizbullah Rockets 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
A report in the French daily Le Figaro late Monday revealed new information on the military wing of Hizbullah's structural make-up, with details on the guerrilla group's 10,000 operatives and arsenal of some 40,000 rockets. The report also focused on Syria's role in Hizbullah operations, in both manufacture and transportation of rockets.
According to the Le Figaro report, which quoted anonymous officials in the French Defense Ministry and Western intelligence sources, Hizbullah has three units dedicated to the transportation and maintenance of its rocket arsenal.
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The unit responsible for transporting weapons from Damascus, Unit 108, received a delivery of Syrian missiles headed to Lebanon in January last year, according to Le Figaro. The shipment, which was apparently spotted by US military intelligence, was said to have contained 26 M-6002 missiles with a range of 250km. Unit 108's main barracks are located near Syria's border with Lebanon, in the Shi'ite town of Doma, the report added, with operatives also positioned within Damascus. The unit has another base next to Damascus Airport, which is vital for the handling of weapon shipments from Iran - Hizbullah's main backer.
The Le Figaro report also revealed that Unit 112 is in charge of transporting missiles, usually by night and towards the end of the month. The weapons are moved using trucks with false number plates, according to the report.
Hizbullah's Unit 100 reportedly deals with deployment and training, and making sure the missiles reach their final destinations, in various camps located within 150km from Israel's northern border. As has been widely reported, Le Figaro noted that Iranian officers are responsible for training Hizbullah guerrilla fighters.
The report stressed that Hizbullah has now strategically based itself in Syria, and quoted military experts' speculation that manufacture of Iranian missiles is now being handled in Syria, for ease of transport.