------------------------------------------- Eds Note: With the Syrian conflict on rise, along with the developing Middle East crisis, Hezbollah is capitalizing on the resources to be prepared to combat his enemies. Pentagon needs to deeply think their war strategy, alongwith Obama's vision on foreign policy needs revisiting. (063 News)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEBANON:
Lebanon based Hezbollah has constructed an airstrip in the
northern Bekaa Valley for the takeoff and landing of its unmanned aerial
vehicles, satellite imagery has revealed.
Reports by IHS
Jane’s indicate
the airstrip was built in a sparsely populated area slightly south of the
northern Lebanese region of Hermel, bordering the Syrian border, sometime
between February 27, 2013 and June 19, 2014.
The
airstrip itself is very simple. It consists of a single unpaved strip that is
670 meters long and 20 meters wide. Materials for the strip were taken from a
nearby quarry to build up its northern end and to level it out.
The
short length of the air strip indicates that it is not used to smuggle in
weapons from Syria or Iran, since it is too short to be used by nearly all
other transport aircraft used by either country’s air force, with the exception
of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ An-74T-200 short take-off transports.
According to Jane’s,
the most likely explanation is that the runway was “built for Iranian-made
UAVs, including the Ababil-3, which has been employed over Syria by forces
allied to the Syrian regime, and possibly the newer and larger Shahed-129.”
Hezbollah has already
confirmed that it is using UAVs to support its operations against opposition
forces in Syria, particularly over the strategically-important Qalamoun region
on Lebanon’s eastern border.
An antenna, which might be
used to extend the range of a local UAV ground control station, is also located
close to the strip, along with six small utility buildings, though none are
large enough to house an Ababil-3. However, according to Jane’s, “there is a facility
constructed in a valley 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) west of the airstrip that includes
two utility buildings large enough to house UAVs.”
The
site is also guarded by a checkpoint and swing gate, similar to other Hezbollah
facilities that are located across Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Edited By: KANWAL
ABIDI 063 News
*Political Analyst &
Journalist
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