Israeli Army considers forming anti-tank units with Hezbollah’s trophy weapons

5 November, 2024 An Israeli soldier with a trophy weapon. Photo credit: Israel Hayom. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is considering the possibility of forming new anti-tank units equipped with weapons captured from Hezbollah.

Local newspaper Israel Hayom reported on this. The decision is being considered amid a large number of anti-tank weapons captured during the operation in southern Lebanon, including Soviet and Russian-made ones. Initially, they planned to dispose of the weapons, but they later decided to take them to Israel.

An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) special forces soldier with a Russian-made MRO-A rocket-propelled infantry flamethrower.

Photo from open sources

From the very beginning of the operation in Lebanon, Israeli troops captured large warehouses of the Hezbollah terrorist group, which were filled with weapons, including those made in Russia. The samples included 9M131FM (thermobaric) and 9M131M missiles of the Metis-M anti-tank missile system. In addition, the 9K32M Strela-2 portable anti-aircraft missile system and RPG-29 Vampire and RPG-27 Tavolga rocket-propelled grenade launchers were shown.

Missiles for the 9K135 Kornet and Iranian Almas anti-tank missile systems, RPG-7 infantry grenade launchers, and grenades were also seized.

Hezbollah weapons captured by the Israeli military.

October 2024. Footage from Channel 13 video

It is worth noting that the use of trophy weapons by Israeli troops is not a new initiative. Earlier, during the Arab-Israeli wars, there was a practice of using trophy armored vehicles and refurbishing them by the defense industry.

Akhzarit infantry fighting vehicles and T-5 (T-55).

Photo from open sources

The practice in question replenished the IDF's arsenal with Akhzarit armored personnel carriers based on T-54 and T-55 tanks.

There was also the practice of modernizing T-54, T-54, and T-62 for the needs of the Israeli army's tank units.

These modernizations were coded Ti-1 (T-54), Ti-2 (T-55), and Ti-6 (T-62).