The Yasin (), also known as Yassin,
or Al-Yassin,
is an anti-tank weapon derived from the
RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket launcher. The RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and are now manufactured by the Russian company Bazalt. The weapon has t ...
produced by the
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Al-Qassam Brigades, also known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (EQB; ), are the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist organization Hamas. Led by Mohammed Deif until his death on 13 July 2024, Al-Qassam Brigades ar ...
, the military wing of
Hamas
The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
, and first deployed in 2004.
It was named after Hamas' spiritual leader, Sheikh
Ahmed Yasin, killed by the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
(IDF) on March 22, 2004.
Primarily used by the
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Al-Qassam Brigades, also known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (EQB; ), are the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist organization Hamas. Led by Mohammed Deif until his death on 13 July 2024, Al-Qassam Brigades ar ...
, it has also been deployed by other
Hamas units in Gaza, including the Executive Force, and Naval Police.
Other users include fighters connected to
Fatah
Fatah ( ; ), formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (), is a Palestinian nationalist and Arab socialist political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
and the
PFLP.
Although intended as an anti-tank weapon, the first version of the Yasin was chiefly operated against soft-skin vehicles and personnel. Later variants like the Yasin 105 have larger warheads.
History
Unveiled on August 30, 2004,
the Yasin was reportedly developed by Hamas engineers from the Research and Industry Unit, directed by
Adnan al-Ghoul, killed in
Gaza by the IDF on October 22, 2004.
First used against Israeli soldiers in 2005,
after the
2006 Lebanon War
The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...
, production was accelerated in anticipation of an armed conflict with Israel. During the
2006 Gaza conflict, there were reports of its use against Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, as well as at
Beit Lahiya. On August 14, 2007, Hamas reported firing a Yasin at an Israeli tank in
Khan Yunis
Khan Yunis (), also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus, is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and serves as the capital of the Khan Yunis Governorate. It has been largely destroyed during the Gaza war.
Before the 14th century, Khan Y ...
. During the
Gaza War
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
, Hamas Naval Police officers were reportedly trained in its use.
In 2018, Israeli intelligence claimed Yasin warheads were being converted into balloon-based IEDs, since improvements to the armor used by Israeli military vehicles made them obsolete in their primary role.
Design
The Yasin's design was influenced by the
RPG-2
The RPG-2 ( Russian: РПГ-2, Ручной противотанковый гранатомёт, ''Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot''; English: "hand-held antitank grenade launcher") is a man-portable, shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon that was de ...
and
RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket launcher. The RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and are now manufactured by the Russian company Bazalt. The weapon has t ...
.
From the former, it used the rocket launcher tube design and the warhead's external shape and rocket motor which are very simple.
From the latter, it copied the enhanced warhead and the divergent nozzle at the launcher's rear to deflect recoil generated by launching the rocket with a rocket booster attached to the propelled grenade to extend its range.
The large cone at the back end of the Yasin launcher is thus typical of the RPG-7.
The RPG is reported to be made in small underground workshops, with an explosive filler made from molten TNT and powdered ammonium nitrate. While it has a claimed effective range of 300 meters, the Israeli
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), also known as Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in honor of Meir Amit, is an Israel-based research group. ITIC has close ties to the Israel Defense Forces. Its repor ...
(ITIC) suggests a range between 200 and 250 meters.
It is more effective in urban warfare, able to destroy brick walls and penetrate a 21 cm steel plate from 150 meters,
closely matching the ITIC estimate of 200 mm (20 cm).
Continued efforts to upgrade the Hamas-made RPG to penetrate protective armor lead to the development of the "Tandem 85" rocket, using a
tandem-charge system designed to be more effective against
reactive armor,
followed by the "
Al-Yassin 105" rocket. The Yasin 105 is reported to have first seen action during the
2023 Israel-Gaza war.
References
Bibliography
*
{{Hamas
Hamas
Anti-tank rockets of Palestine
Palestinian inventions
Homemade firearms
Insurgency weapons