Iran Supplied $129 Million in Weapons to Hezbollah in 2024 as Group’s Arsenal Shrinks Under Israeli Strikes

Hezbollah spent just $28 million of its own funds on weapons procurement in 2024, relying instead on an estimated $129 million in direct military transfers from Iran to sustain its arsenal, according to a financial analysis published by the Center for Research of Terror Financing (CENTEF).

The Jerusalem-based nonprofit compiled its findings using open-source intelligence and known market valuations of military hardware. The resulting report details how Tehran functions not merely as a political patron but as the primary logistics supplier for the Lebanese militant group, covering everything from short-range rockets to advanced anti-tank systems.

Of the roughly $157 million in total weaponry attributed to Hezbollah’s 2024 inventory, the vast majority arrived as in-kind grants. The organization’s independent purchasing was largely confined to small arms, ammunition, drone components, and dual-use equipment routed through international smuggling networks. This division of labor reflects a long-standing operational model within Iran’s regional proxy network, where the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force handles heavy armaments while allied militias manage local tactical acquisitions.

The CENTEF ledger itemizes thousands of specific munitions delivered over the year. Hezbollah received approximately 4,000 short-range Katyusha rockets, valued at roughly $300 per unit, alongside 400 Falaq-1 and Falaq-2 rockets and 120 Burkan heavy rockets estimated at $400 each. The Burkan, originally developed by Iranian-backed forces during the Syrian civil war, carries a significantly larger payload than standard unguided artillery rockets and has been used extensively against northern Israel.

More sophisticated systems also moved into Hezbollah’s inventory. The group acquired an estimated 600 rockets from the Iranian Fajr series and Syrian-origin heavy launchers. The Fajr-3 is a 240mm artillery rocket carrying a 45-kilogram warhead, while the Fajr-5 is a 333mm system. The GPS-guided Fajr-5C variant represents a critical upgrade, allowing precision strikes that older unguided models cannot achieve. These systems range in estimated cost from $2,000 to $10,000 per unit.

Anti-tank guided missiles constitute another heavily funded pillar of the arsenal. Hezbollah relies primarily on Russian-designed Kornet missiles, which cost approximately $26,000 per round, and the Dehlavieh, an Iranian reverse-engineered copy priced between $12,000 and $15,000. The proliferation of these ATGMs along the Lebanon-Israel border has forced the Israel Defense Forces to adapt armored vehicle deployments and infantry tactics during cross-border operations.

Despite the scale of Iranian deliveries documented in 2024, the actual size of Hezbollah’s functional arsenal has contracted sharply over the past two years. Sustained Israeli aerial campaigns and ground incursions into southern Lebanon have destroyed underground storage facilities, launch sites, and supply routes. IDF Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, founder of the Alma Research and Education Center, recently assessed that Israeli forces have neutralized 90% of the rocket and missile stockpiles Hezbollah held prior to the current conflict.

Zehavi estimated the group currently retains between 10,000 and 15,000 rockets. Before the escalation that began in October 2023, U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies widely assessed Hezbollah possessed upward of 150,000 projectiles. The destruction has disproportionately affected precision-guided and long-range missiles, which require specialized storage and are harder to replace quickly through covert supply lines.

The degradation of physical assets has been compounded by the systematic elimination of the group’s command structure. Israeli strikes killed longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024, along with dozens of senior commanders overseeing logistics, intelligence, and rocket units. Replacing experienced officers capable of managing complex Iranian supply chains remains a significant operational hurdle for the remaining leadership.

Rebuilding will require more than financial investment. Smuggling routes through Syria, historically the primary transit corridor for Iranian weapons moving into Lebanon, have faced intense disruption following the collapse of the Assad government in late 2024 and subsequent shifts in territorial control. Air transport directly into Beirut is heavily monitored, leaving Hezbollah dependent on increasingly constrained overland paths.

U.S. Treasury sanctions targeting Hezbollah’s financial networks continue to restrict the group’s ability to independently purchase the dual-use technology required for drone manufacturing and communications equipment. While Iran absorbs the cost of heavy munitions, the loss of autonomous procurement capacity limits Hezbollah’s tactical flexibility on the ground.

The Israel Defense Forces announced earlier this week the elimination of a Hezbollah commander linked to the 2023 killing of five American soldiers during attacks on U.S. positions in the region.