Hizballah missile stock 'tripled'

Missiles could reach well past Jerusalem to Beer Sheva
Nov. 25, 2008

Hizballah, the Shiite terrorist group based in Lebanon that fired thousands of missiles into Israel during the 2006 conflict, has tripled it weapons supply since then, not to mentioned enhanced its quality as well as quantity. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Knesset that some of the 42,000 missiles could reach southern cities of Ashkelon, Beersheba and Dimona, more than 125 miles from the border.

According to intelligence estimates, the organization has 14,000 rockets before the last war.

Barak said that because Hizballah is now an elected part of Lebanon's national unity government earlier, Israel would take wider action against the country in future conflicts. Previously, the army tried to target Hizballah strongholds, but even those are dispersed among civilian centers.

"The integration of Hizballah into the Lebanese state exposes Lebanon and its infrastructure to in-depth attacks in the event of a new conflict," he said.