Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — The Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah was said to operate a fleet of 200 unmanned aerial vehicles.

Lebanese sources said the Shi’ite force was operating UAVs throughout Lebanon.

The sources said the unmanned aircraft operations intensified in 2013 amid the war in neighboring Syria and attempts by Sunni rebels to infiltrate Lebanon.

The sources said most of the Hizbullah UAVs were produced and supplied by Iran.

“The UAVs have been flying mostly in the Bekaa Valley along the Syrian border,” a source said.

On Nov. 25, the Lebanese daily Al Jumhuriya reported that Hizbullah was operating UAVs to monitor the Syrian border. The newspaper said Hizbullah spotted and tracked a car that contained more than 400 kilograms of explosives.

“The vehicle was tracked upon entrance to Arsal on the border with Syria
and until it arrived in the area between Younin and Maqneh,” Al Jumhuriya,
quoting security sources, said. “The organization [Hizbullah] is performing
tracking and surveillance on the border through the use of UAVs at night.”

The sources said Hizbullah was believed to have assembled some of the
platforms, also meant to strike enemy targets.

  Bekaa Valley, Hizbullah fleet of 200 Iran drones said monitoring Syria border, Hizbullah said to have fleet of 200 Iranian-produced drones, monitoring Syrian border