Hizbullah Artillery Officer Reviews Rockets Used Against Israel: We Have Been Preparing For This War For 17 Years, And Have Revealed Only A Small Portion Of Our Weapons; Our Rockets Have Similar Impact To That Of Israeli Air Raids

On July 4, 2024, Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) aired a report featuring an interview with Hajj Muhammad Ali, an officer in Hizbullah's artillery force. Hajj Ali, who was interviewed with his face blurred while wearing a Hizbullah uniform and on the backdrop of a rocket launcher, spoke about Hizbullah's Burkan-type and Falaq-type rockets, which he said Hizbullah has used on multiple occasions against Israeli targets. He said that the Burkan rockets were designed to destroy Israeli forward outposts in the Galilee and can be used to provide active fire support to forces maneuvering in urban surroundings, while the Falaq-type rockets can be used in attacks that resemble the "fire belt" air raid tactic employed by the Israeli air force. Hajj Ali also spoke about Hizbullah's multiple rocket launcher platforms, some of which he said have over 40 barrels. He added that the resistance has been preparing for war with Israel for 17 years and that only a small portion of its weapons and capabilities have been revealed thus far, due to restrictions on escalation enforced by Hizbullah's leadership.

Hajj Muhammad Ali: "Before we go into detail, the Burkan rocket is divided into three types. We have a light version, a mid-weight version, and heavy version of the Burkan. The same Burkan family has three versions of rockets. What has been revealed so far is clear, in terms of the operations and the ranges."

Interviewer: "Clear in what sense?"

Ali: "In sense of the destruction they cause. We used it to target the enemy's headquarters. We targeted the headquarters of the 91th division in Biranit several times, and it caused huge destruction to that headquarters. This is one example. Another example is not far away – we used it to target the headquarters of the eastern division, in Kiryat Shmona. They call it Camp Gibor. We also targeted it with the Burkan, which caused great destruction there. The Israelis know the extent of this weapon's capabilities in the battlefield. This weapon was designed and manufactured by the engineers of the resistance.

[...]

"The Burkan weapon was meant to be used primarily in the battle over the Galilee to completely destroy the enemy's forward posts, so that the enemy would have no places left to take cover. It was planned for forward outposts or headquarters. So it was designated for the battle over the Galilee, but also for urban warfare.

"We wanted to provide active fire support for the forces maneuvering in urban surroundings.

"The Burkan has significant impact in terms of destruction, but also in terms of the psychological effect on enemy soldiers inside their posts, without even mentioning the psychological impact on the enemy's settlers."

Interviewer: "You can hear the sound it makes..."

Ali: "Even from tens of kilometers away.

[...]

"The resistance has been preparing for this war for 17 years by training for the battlefield and developing weapons. So far, only a small portion of our weapons have been revealed."

Interviewer: "Even with regard to the Burkan?"

Ali: "Yes, because our leadership has placed some limitations, when the [fighting is restricted] to this type of battle. However, like Nasrallah said, if there is a war without limitations, things will look different, with regard to the types, destructive power, and ranges of the weapons we will throw into the battlefield."

[...]

Interviewer: "Dear viewers, we will view now footage of the launching of Burkan rockets."

Ali: "Falaq-1 and Falaq-2 are military-grade destructive rockets. These rockets have been introduced to the battlefield in succession, in keeping with the limitations forced by the resistance.

"If we want to give an example, these rockets were used in the attack on the Mt. Meron base, where the [Israeli] air control base is located.

"You can see this weapon back here. This is a Falaq-2 rocket. We carried out an attack on Mt. Meron using 20 Falaq-2 rockets. The enemy knows, but the viewers should know too. Every such rocket is almost equivalent to an air raid. The enemy used against our people in Gaza a method they call 'fire belt.' It consists of consecutive air raids in a small area, which cause destruction and tactical impact. With one attack, we achieved a similar goal. Twenty Falaq-2 rockets landed on the Meron air base."

Interviewer: "It is equivalent to a 'fire belt' raid by the air force?"

Ali: "It is the equivalent of a 'fire belt' by an air force.

[...]

"We have [rocket launchers] with about 100 barrels."

Interviewer: "Military-grade weapons?"

Ali: "Military-grade, we have 40-barrel [launchers]. The Russian army produced a 40-barrel launcher. The [North] Korean army, although we do not have the technical specifications, produced a 30-barrel launcher. They have the ability to produce a 50-barrel launcher, but we have not seen on production lines in North Korea or in the battlefield, launchers with more than 30 barrels.

[...]

"Launchers with multiple barrels are a must, but this must be done in a thoughtful way in terms of technology and engineering so that the product meets the need. If the target requires a 40-barrel weapon, we will attack it with 40 barrels, and if it requires more than 40 barrels, we will attack it with more."

Interviewer: "You have produced launchers with more than 40 barrels?"

Ali: "Of course."

Interviewer: "Can you say how many?"

Ali: "Well, with the development of the war..."

Interviewer: "We have seen footage posted by [Hizbullah's] Military Media [outlet] showing more than 40 barrels..."

Ali: "48 barrels. We have not crossed the number of 48."