Report: Hizbullah Establishes Runway in the Bekaa to Operate Drones

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Hizbullah has allegedly constructed a runway that consists of a single unpaved strip with a length of 670 meter and width of 20 meter in the Bekaa town of Hermel to operate its drones.

IHS Jane's Defense Weekly said in a report that the area is remote and unpopulated.

The magazine said that it obtained the information from satellite images that recently became publicly available on Google Earth.

The report suggests that the airstrip, 18 km west of the Syrian border, was established between 27 February 2013 and 19 June 2014.

It pointed out that the runway was "built over a shorter strip that had been in existence since at least 2010."

“The short length of the runway suggests the facility is not intended to smuggle in weapons shipments from Syria or Iran as it is too short for nearly all the transport aircraft used by the air forces of those countries,” the report said.

It estimates that the runway was constructed to operate Iranian made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including Ababil-3 and Shahed-129.

Hizbullah sources confirmed to the magazine that the party is using the drones to aid the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad against rebels.

In 2014, the Saudi al-Watan daily reported that Hizbullah had established a small military airport in the Bekaa city of Baalbek to operate Iranian-made drones.

The Iranian drones were identified as Mirsad-1 and Mirsad-2.

Senior commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh had said that Hizbullah has dramatically improved its missile capabilities and can now pinpoint targets anywhere in Israel.

In 2012, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged that a drone which Israel shot down by Israel was launched by his party.

The drone was “believed to be the new Shahed-129, which was unveiled by Tehran, with a range of up to 1,200 miles and a flight duration of 24 hours.”

In July 2006, the Israeli military shot down an unarmed drone operated by Hizbullah over the Jewish state's territorial waters.

On April 12, 2005, another pilotless Hizbullah aircraft succeeded in overflying part of northern Israel without being downed.

Comments 26
Thumb ex-fpm almost 9 years

here is an aerial photo of the runway as reported by an nahar
http://www.annahar.com/article/231811-مدرج-لحزب-الله-في-البقاع?utm_source=mostread&utm_medium=annahar&utm_campaign=daily

Thumb EagleDawn almost 9 years

no way! mowaten said it is all Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 version 14.2.1:))

Thumb kanaanljdid almost 9 years

The real a5bar here is that Hizbullah built something in Lebanon, usually they only destroy...

But this will bring more destruction on Lebanon so this is the same as destroying the country!

Thumb geha almost 9 years

these terrorists have to be stopped.

Thumb geha almost 9 years

go and pick up the pieces of what is left of your hizbushaitan friends in qalamoun after the israeli raids.

Thumb EagleDawn almost 9 years

focus on the article and not the person, troll.

Missing humble almost 9 years

We don't need you to defend us, You are not a resistance but an iranian gang with a Farsi objective.

Thumb marcus almost 9 years

dream on... hezbollah controls the army, the institutions, and the graveyards too.

Missing humble almost 9 years

Ebola has enormously lost during the past 5 years.

Thumb cedars2 almost 9 years

Yes indeed the Hizb has lost a lot these past few years. They lost a lot of the support they had from some Lebanese people, they are losing support from their own supporters, it's a matter of time before they realize that Lebanon is for the Lebanese not anyone else. Big mistake going against the wishes of a vast majority of Lebanese to fight someone else's war and create enemies.

Thumb EagleDawn almost 9 years

flamethrower are you changing your position now? for the sake of consistency and your impeccable reputation and forum wide credibility, were you not yesterday mocking KSA and doubting it is arming the LAF?

Thumb -phoenix1 almost 9 years

FT, calm down, there really no need for all this: Just wanted to ask you, why did you forget Syria and Iran? Syria was not interested in annexing part of Lebanon, aided by Tehran they indeed occupied it all and were betting on militias like Hezbollah to perpetuate it into a defacto reality. What Hezbollah was or is aiming to realize is a repeat of Angola and Jonas Savimbi then under Portuguese rule, a militia hoping to annex a whole country. Hezbollah can build its illegal runway as it built so many other illegal infrastructure, but today what good will it be when it is engaged in wars that are not ours? Only today together with the Syrian regime, they lost another area to Al Nusra in the North of that country. Build that unpaved runway, still, the army's planes are due soon, so what use will the HA drones be?

Thumb EagleDawn almost 9 years

no evidence of brain activity detected whatsoever, not even a blip. Flamethrower is certifiably clinically dead.

Thumb freedomarch almost 9 years

For KSA to LAF support, fart thrower, you are 100% right, this money mistakenly went to the wrong hands, unconditional support is not right and should have gone to sunni Mustaqbal and Lebanese Forces instead, Now you will be happy fart thrower?

Thumb EagleDawn almost 9 years

flamethrower but only yesterday hezbollah said they wanted aoun for president and Qmati said the FPM and hezb of terror are one "BODY".... you still remember that flamethrower?

Thumb -phoenix1 almost 9 years

Humble, don't worry, be happy, the caporal Claoun will never be our president, he is reportedly in bad health, both physically, mentally and politically. By definition and by default, that makes him now ready and primed for Deyr El Salib. The trip to that shrink institution is actually a short one, both by road and also geopolitically. Le caporal, c'est fini.

Missing humble almost 9 years

Very true. Insiders have reported two major nervous crisis. He will never be able to accept he cannot be president.

Missing humble almost 9 years

You are wrong because you don't know the CaporaL. He believes he is the greatest man ever born and cannot accept how "small generals " became president and he NapoleAoun cannot be president !!!
It is absolutely true When I say he is a megalomaniac and a mentally ill man.
I am for a president who is honest, patriot and competent, such as Neemat Frem, Ziad Baroud, Samir Frangieh...when all Christians unite behind the president, he will automatically be a STRONG PRESIDENT.
By the way, the ones who are working on destroying the Christians are those who are aiming for an Islamic Republic.

Missing humble almost 9 years

No Flames thrower

You are wrong because you don't know the CaporaL. He believes he is the greatest man ever born and cannot accept how "small generals " became president and he the NapoleAoun cannot be president !!!
It is absolutely true When I say he is a megalomaniac and a mentally ill man.
I am for a president who is honest, patriot and competent, such as Neemat Frem, Ziad Baroud, Samir Frangieh...when all Christians unite behind the president, he will then be automatically a STRONG PRESIDENT.
By the way, the ones who are working on destroying the Christians are those who are aiming for an Islamic Republic (your good friends).

Thumb ex-fpm almost 9 years

lol
FT has selective memory;)

Thumb Mystic almost 9 years

Indeed.

Thumb Mystic almost 9 years

March 14 the shame, diseased dishonor of Lebanon.

Thumb Mystic almost 9 years

FT, this country have only one problem. Let's see Lebanon as a body now okay. We have a good and healthy body close to the sea with lots of fertile harvest ground, we have alot of good things in this body.

Only we have a disease that weakens the whole body of Lebanon, that is called March 14 Alliance. Everything that weakens Lebanon, it's people and greatness are the corrupted March 14 Alliance.

Thumb Mystic almost 9 years

This is a false report.

Missing canadianadam almost 9 years

Wow, FT has started to become mentally I'll like his master. He's actually contradicting himself. How about those KSA weapons and HAs lack of support for Claoun?

Or did you just get a new employer?

Default-user-icon Petra (Guest) almost 9 years

@Mystic : Thought za stooges were 3 not 2.
Update Ur movie culture, Hassan.