Volcano: Hezbollah would use this rocket to attack Israel. Berlin police officers lose pistols, ammunition and much more

The Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah is said to have used so-called volcano rockets against Israel for the first time on Saturday. The explosives hit a military base in northern Israel, the American news agency Associated Press wrote, citing the Lebanese television channel Al-Mayadeen. The news agency also points to information from a Hezbollah broadcaster showing that the terrorists shot down an Israeli spy balloon in the border town of Misgav Am.

Israel has not yet confirmed the use of the weapon. The missile, known in Arabic as ‘Burkan’, has already been used in the past, writes the American think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. In 2018, Yemen’s Houthi rebels used it several times to bomb the Saudi Arabian cities of Riyadh and Mecca and other targets in the predominantly Muslim country.

According to the think tank, the Volcano short-range missile (German: Vulkan) is a projectile with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers. It can carry nuclear warheads weighing several hundred kilos.

Weapon based on Iranian model

The Houthi rebels only caused a stir on Thursday when they fired rockets into Israel. The rebels control northern Yemen and are backed by Iran, while a Saudi-backed government controls the south of the country.

According to the American think tank Soufan Center, the volcano is a further development of the Iranian Qiam surface-to-surface missile. It already has a range of 800 kilometers, is 11.5 meters long and can carry a warhead of 750 kilograms. There are growing indications that Iran is supporting attacks on Israel, even as the Iranian government continues to deny involvement in the conflict.

The head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, expressed his willingness to expand the terrorist organization’s attacks. In a speech on Friday, he said: “All options on the Lebanese front remain open.”

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