NICOSIA [MENL] -- For the first time, Hizbullah has acknowledged the deployment of a huge arsenal of missiles and rockets along the Lebanese border with Israel.

Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah said his organization has deployed 12,000 missiles and rockets in southern Lebanon. Speaking ahead of Lebanese parliamentary elections on May 29, Nasrallah said Hizbullah could strike and destroy any target in northern Israel.

"Some people think we have 12,000 rockets, Katyushas or others," Nasrallah told a rally in Bint Jbeil near the Israeli border on Wednesday. "I tell you we have more than 12,000."

The assertion by Nasrallah confirmed previous assessments by Israeli defense officials of Hizbullah's strength. The Israeli officials reported that Hizbullah's missile arsenal has grown over the last three years to up to 15,000 missiles and rockets.