Soon in the Hands of Hezbollah? Venezuela Holds 5,000 Surface-to-Air Missiles
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 22/05/2017
By Vitaly V. Kuzmin - http://vitalykuzmin.net/?q=node/314, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19168711
Venezuela possesses 5,000 Russian-made MANPADS surface-to-air weapons, according to a military document reviewed by Reuters, the largest known stockpile in Latin America and a source of concern for US officials amid the country's mounting turmoil.
The missiles, which are shoulder-mounted and can be operated by one person, pose a serious threat to commercial and military aircraft. Weapons experts said there have long been fears that the weapons could be stolen, sold or somehow channeled to the wrong hands, concerns exacerbated by the current civil unrest in Venezuela and the economic crisis roiling the oil-producing nation.
By Vitaly V. Kuzmin - http://vitalykuzmin.net/?q=node/314, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19168711
Venezuela possesses 5,000 Russian-made MANPADS surface-to-air weapons, according to a military document reviewed by Reuters, the largest known stockpile in Latin America and a source of concern for US officials amid the country's mounting turmoil.
The missiles, which are shoulder-mounted and can be operated by one person, pose a serious threat to commercial and military aircraft. Weapons experts said there have long been fears that the weapons could be stolen, sold or somehow channeled to the wrong hands, concerns exacerbated by the current civil unrest in Venezuela and the economic crisis roiling the oil-producing nation.
