(AP) - Senior Israeli defense officials say Hezbollah has dramatically increased its arsenal of rockets and their range, threatening most of Israel.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said Thursday the Lebanese group has acquired new Iranian rockets with a range of around 186 miles. That means they can hit anywhere in Israel's heavily populated center and reach as far as Dimona, where Israel's nuclear reactor is located.
Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets into Israel during the monthlong conflict between them in 2006. Those rockets had a maximum range of some 43 miles.
The United Nations peacekeeping force dispatched to Lebanon after that war was meant to prevent Hezbollah from rearming. But the Israeli officials say Hezbollah now has many more rockets in its arsenal than the 14,000 it had before the conflict.