Lebanon: Hezbollah's Falaq missiles pose a threat to Israel soldiers involved in ground op

To thwart the efforts by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to make advancements on the ground, Hezbollah claimed to have launched several missiles at their positions. Following the beginning of the ground invasion of Lebanon by the Israeli military, Hezbollah targeted enemies east of the Sasa settlement in northern Israel with "Falaq" missiles, Al Jazeera said. In a separate attack, Hezbollah also fired missiles at another group of enemy units to the west of Sasa, it added.

Here is what you need to know about the Falaq missiles, the Iranian-made weapons that are being fired at Israel by Hezbollah. 

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The first known use of Falaq rockets by Hezbollah against Israel happened in 2005. However, it was an accidental launch. The next year, they were among the most used weapons against the IDF during the Second Lebanon War.

'Falaq', sometimes referred to as 'Falagh', is a family of unguided surface-to-surface artillery rockets. Hezbollah's artillery office has claimed to have fired Falaq-1 and Falaq-2 missiles at IDF positions in recent days. Developed by Tehran's weapon experts in the 1990s, Falaq missiles are not the most accurate rockets available in the world.

Both Falaq -1 and 2 are solid-fueled, spin-stabilized, and can be launched from trucks or boats. A man-portable variant of Falaq 1 is also available with Hezbollah. These unguided missiles are known to have a margin of error of up to three kilometres, reports said.

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The Falaq-1 rockets have a range of 10-11 km while carrying a 50 kg high explosive warhead. With a body diameter of 240 mm, they are 1.32 m long and possess a total launch weight of 111 kg. The Falaq-2 also boasts a similar range but can manage a 120 kg warhead. The 1.82 m long rocket's body is 333 mm in diameter and has a launch weight of 255 kg. It has a fragmentation radius of around 300 m, CSIS Missile Defense Project's Missile Threat website said.

Hezbollah-Israel war: Latest updates

Israel's military urged residents of over 20 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately on Thursday as it pressed on with an incursion after suffering its worst losses in a year of fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The call for evacuations from southern towns included the provincial capital Nabatieh, suggesting another Israeli operation designed to further weaken Hezbollah is imminent. Israel, which has been fighting with Hamas in Gaza for almost a year, sent its troops into southern Lebanon after two weeks of intense airstrikes, escalating tensions in a conflict that risks drawing in the United States and Iran.