BEIRUT, October 1. /TASS/. The Lebanon-based Shiite party Hezbollah has lost about half of its arsenal as a result of Israeli attacks, Al Arabiya said, citing a source in the European Union.

According to the TV channel, the movement has lost approximately 50% of its military arsenal. According to the source, the Israeli side is intentionally concealing the scale of its armed incursion into southern Lebanon.

On September 30, the movement’s deputy chief Naim Qassem asserted that Hezbollah is ready to fight back in the event of Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon and will prevent it from achieving its goals. He stressed that the Israeli army will never destroy Hezbollah’s military capabilities despite all efforts.

The latest escalation between Israel and Hezbollah began after a series of communication device explosions in Lebanon on September 17 and 18. The Lebanese group blamed the blasts on Israel. While Israeli officials have not yet commented on the developments, they announced intensifying its military operation in the North before Israel delivered air strikes on southern Lebanon and also attacked Beirut.

On September 23, Israel launched an offensive operation, dubbed Northern Arrows, aimed at undermining the military infrastructure of Hezbollah, carrying out massive air strikes across Lebanon, with dozens of settlements in the south and east of the country targeted. On September 27, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in one of the Israeli strikes on Beirut with his death officially confirmed by the Shiite party.

Overnight on October 1, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced a limited ground operation in Lebanon’s borderline areas.