Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday that Hezbollah has lost most of the rocket and missile capabilities it possessed prior to joining the war in support of Hamas a day after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

“I estimate the remaining capacity of the missiles and rockets to be on the order of 20%, and also it is not organized in the way that it used to be, in a way that [Hezbollah] could fire [major] volleys,” Gallant said during a visit to the IDF Northern Command base in Safed.

Last week, the IDF estimated that Hezbollah had lost at least 70% of its firepower. Since the beginning of the Israeli ground operation in Southern Lebanon about a month ago, approximately 1,200 terrorists have been killed, according to the Israeli military. Some 2,000 Hezbollah operatives have been eliminated in the past year.

See: Urban-warfare expert: Hezbollah suffered catastrophic damage

According to military data, numerous Hezbollah commanders have been slain, including seven sector commanders (equivalent to brigade commanders), 21 sub-sector commanders (equivalent to battalion commanders) and 25 company commander equivalents and deputy battalion commanders.

The IDF nevertheless emphasized that Hezbollah maintains the capability to fire rockets at both forces in Lebanon and the Israeli home front. The military estimates that the ground operation in Lebanon will conclude within a “very few” weeks.

(JNS)