IDF reconsiders reusing seized Russian, Iranian weapons

Since October 7, 2023, a tense situation has persisted in the Middle East, sparked by a major attack on Israel by Hamas militants. The following day, Hezbollah entered the conflict, and the IDF has since infiltrated two of Hezbollah's underground bases in Lebanon. A brief video was posted online showing segments of the base searches and the weapons discovered there.

According to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, the Israeli army initially intended to dispose of the acquired weapons. However, the sheer volume led to a reassessment, and now the Russian and Iranian weapons seized from Hezbollah militants might be integrated into the Israeli forces.

From the bases in Lebanon, the Israeli army reportedly transported away "dozens of trucks," laden primarily with anti-tank missile systems, their ammunition, and various rifles.

One of the most valuable finds is the "Almas" family of anti-tank guided missiles, one of the newer types produced by Iran. They are based on the Israeli Spike-LR anti-tank missile and have a range of about 4 kilometres. In their later versions, this range was increased, and they feature tandem warheads, posing a considerable threat to Israeli armoured vehicles. The weapons seized from Russia mainly include Kornet anti-tank missiles with a range of about 5.6 kilometres.

The portal Defence Express highlighted that the Israeli army's use of captured weapons is not without precedent. Similar occurrences took place after both the Six-Day War (notably with T-54/55 tanks) and the Yom Kippur War (including T-62 tanks). By the mid-seventies, captured tanks constituted about 20% of the IDF's armoured fleet, which now heavily relies on homegrown Merkava tanks, developed based on insights from the Yom Kippur War.