File photo: Image showing Israeli Iron Dome battery being damaged by a Hezbollah missile strike
By Richard Oshiomhole
21/06/2024
Front-page News
There are growing genuine concerns in the US and Israel about capabilities of the ‘Iron Dome’ under sustained attacks amid ongoing war between Israel and Hamas,
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CNN and The Times of Israel confirmed that top US officials hosted Israeli counterparts amid worries that a full-on war with Hezbollah would see Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system overwhelmed by the Lebanese resistance group’s rocket arsenal.
According to a report by The Times of Israel, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer’s meetings were hosted by US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Thursday,
Earlier on Thursday, the CNN quoted three US officials as saying that Washington has serious concerns that in the event of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese group “could overwhelm Israel’s air defenses in the north.”
The fears, that the Iron Dome could be vulnerable to Hezbollah’s vast arsenal of missiles and drones have been officially communicated to the US by the Israeli senior government officials. “We assessed that at least some Iron Dome batteries will be overwhelmed,” a senior administration official told the US news network.
Some concerned Israeli officials opined that the danger would be more likely if Hezbollah conducted a large-scale attack principally using precision guided weapons, which could be challenging for the system to defend against.
A primary concern is Hezbollah using a large number of precision guided munitions and missiles, the CNN quoted a source familiar with the threat as saying.
The situation remains tense on the Lebanon-Israel border. Israel has been saying it is preparing for a wider conflict.
There is a lot of concern that the situation, which is still largely contained, could expand and widen into a much larger war.
What Hezbollah has been trying to do in recent weeks is to gradually unveil its new arsenal and show its capabilities. This is part of its strategy of deterrence. It is also part of a strategy to avoid an escalation of this war. Hezbollah says it doesn’t want a wider conflict, that it opened this front to help support Gaza, but that it is prepared in case of escalation.
Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has boasted that they have a surplus of fighters, a surplus of weapons, and they too are manufacturing their own drones.
Additional reporting by Aljazera
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