Guided Missiles Proliferating Throughout Middle East

MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty Images

Guided Missiles Proliferating Throughout Middle East

Heavy-hitting antitank weapons are increasingly common in terrorists’ hands. War Is Boring reported that growing amounts of Russian antitank weapons are being utilized by terrorists.

Videos and pictures on YouTube and Twitter show American tow antitank laser-guided missiles in the hands of global jihadists like al-Nusra Front. A less noticed trend involves Russian Kornet antitank missiles spreading about the Middle East in Syria, Iraq, Sudan and elsewhere.

Although small, the Kornet antitank missile packs a punch. The 9K135 Kornet can guide a missile up to 3.4 miles using laser guidance. The Kornet can puncture 3-foot thick armor.

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Russia sold the missiles to Syria. The confusion caused by Syria’s ongoing civil war has allowed the missiles to slowly bleed out of the country into the hands of terrorist groups in neighboring areas. A rebel group aligned with the Free Syrian Army, Islamic State jihadists, as well as Hezbollah have obtained the missiles.

Hezbollah astonished the Israel Defense Forces in 2006 with a stockpile of Kornets and other Russian antitank missiles. Hezbollah was able to knock down two Israeli Merkava-4 tanks—Israel’s newest battle tanks. Israel found marked crates showing the missiles came from Syria.

Unsecure antitank weapons in the Middle East are exacerbating the chaos. Already overrun by terrorist groups, the region is now more dangerous than ever. Now imagine the damage and chaos that will ensue when Iran obtains the nuclear bomb.