Is China involved in this?
Israel is currently engaged in fighting on multiple fronts, with its forces launching relentless offensives on the ground in Gaza and Lebanon. In response, the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon is also retaliating against Israel. It's been nearly a month since Israeli forces began targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, but Hezbollah shows no signs of backing down. The reason behind this flexibility is the support he gets from Iran. For a long time, Iran has funded, armed and trained Hezbollah fighters. Now, recent intelligence received from Israeli naval officers has made Israel extremely nervous.
Israeli naval officials have revealed that Hezbollah still maintains an active naval wing, equipped with anti-ship missiles and possibly naval ballistic missiles. This growing naval power has raised concerns for Israel. Over the past decade, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have closely monitored Hezbollah's naval capabilities. According to the Jerusalem Post, an IDF report claimed that Hezbollah possessed Russian-made supersonic Yakhont missiles, which it called “the nightmare of Western fleets.” These missiles were originally sold by Russia to Syria and then transferred to Hezbollah.
The report also says that Hezbollah has developed a secret naval unit with Iranian support. Although the IDF has successfully reduced some of these capabilities in recent years, Hezbollah's naval units still retain the ability to conduct coastal raids and attack warships. Their arsenal includes advanced missiles and radar systems, some of which are similar to those used by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Despite Hezbollah's naval capabilities, Israeli naval officials believe that, due to the IDF's vigilance, Hezbollah will not be able to launch a surprise naval attack near Lebanese waters. It is worth noting that during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah attacked the Israeli Navy Ship (INS) Hanit with a C-802 missile. Since then, Hezbollah has significantly improved its arsenal of weapons.
The IDF is also concerned that, in recent months, Iran has supplied Hezbollah with large quantities of missiles and drones. In addition, the patterns of missiles used in Houthi attacks have drawn the attention of Israel and the West, intensifying their concerns about the potential threats of Hezbollah and Houthi forces.
According to an Israeli field expert, “In recent days, the Houthi rebels have used a Navy ballistic missile, which has shocked many Western intelligence agencies. This missile has electro-optical targeting capability, which is a dangerous signal for the future.” The missile descends from a height, strikes the ship at a sharp angle, and is extremely lethal. The expert pointed out that only the Iron Dome defense system can deal with such threats.
China also has similar missile technology, the report said. It is believed that Iran has taken this technology not only to develop such deadly missiles, but also to supply the Houthis to encircle Israel from all sides. Recently, Hezbollah's drones managed to evade the Israeli defense system, the Iron Dome, and attacked Israeli security forces positions. Now, with the support of a naval unit, Hezbollah is presenting a significant challenge to Israel, effectively keeping it in a checkmate position at sea.