Full Breakdown
Hezbollah’s 2024 Arms Build-Up and Secret Syrian Talks
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Hezbollah’s 2024 Weapons Procurement Valued at $157 Million
The Israeli nonprofit Center for Research of Terror Financing (CENTEF) released a report titled *Hezbollah Financial Statements* that estimates Hezbollah acquired $157 million worth of weaponry in 2024. The analysis attributes $129 million of that value to an in-kind grant from the Islamic Republic of Iran and $28 million to cash purchases by Hezbollah itself. The acquisitions span small arms, ammunition, drone components, dual-use equipment and a range of heavier systems supplied through Iran’s international procurement networks.
Weapon Types and Quantities Acquired in 2024
- Short-range rockets: ? 4,000 Katyusha rockets (? $300 each).
- Falaq rockets: ? 400 units (240 mm and 333 mm warheads).
- Burkan rockets: ? 120 units (? $400 each).
- Fajr series rockets: ? 600 units (cost $2,000-$10,000 each).
- Zelzal rockets: ? 60 units (? $25,000 each).
- Fateh-110/M-600 missiles: ? 40 units (? $110,000 each, plus $5,000-$10,000 guidance kits).
- Paveh cruise missiles: ? 12 units (range 700-2,000 km).
- Anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs): ? 700 Kornet rounds (? $26,000 each) and ? 500 Dehlavieh rounds (? $12,000-$15,000 each), plus additional Almas, Konkurs/Metis and RPG-29 missiles.
- RPG-7 launchers and rounds: ? 800 launchers and ? 15,000 rounds (launchers $350, rounds $100-$500).
- Small arms and ammunition: ? 5,000 rifles, ? 900 crew-served weapons, ? 8 million ammunition rounds.
- Drones and loitering munitions: ? 300 Mirsad/Ababil UAVs, ? 200 loitering munitions (? $20,000-$40,000 each), ? 400 commercial/FPV drones.
- Air-defence assets: ? 358 Iranian loitering surface-to-air missiles and various MANPADS (cost $5,000-$100,000 each).
Secret Syrian-Hezbollah Talks in Turkey
Reuters reported that Syrian intelligence and foreign-ministry officials met Hezbollah representatives in Turkey in September, at the invitation of Turkish security and intelligence agencies. The talks aimed to ease security disputes that have strained relations since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024. According to a Syrian official, Damascus assured Hezbollah that it would not intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm the group and asked Hezbollah to help stop cross-border smuggling and dismantle remaining sleeper cells in southern Syria. Hezbollah did not give a direct commitment on halting smuggling but pledged not to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs.
Iran, Hezbollah’s main regional sponsor, was not a participant; the source said Tehran was disappointed by its exclusion, which contributed to the lack of a final, publicly announced agreement.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The Syrian Ministry of Information later denied that any meeting between Syrian officials and Hezbollah had taken place, contradicting the Reuters account. The denial was issued after the report cited six sources, including two Syrian officials, a U.S. official and a senior Lebanese security source. No public agreement emerged from the talks, and both sides declined to comment further.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Today Hezbollah is holding between 10,000 to 15,000 rockets, which is much less than what it used to have. Most of the array of sophisticated missiles, accurate missiles and long-range missiles was either eliminated or neutralized,” — Sarit Zehavi, the founder and president of the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center
- “If this serves Lebanon’s interests and safeguards Syria’s interests, why not.” — Sharaa