Posted on 08/04/2006 7:02:46 PM PDT by blam
Missiles neutralizing Israeli tanks
By BENJAMIN HARVEY, Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM - Hezbollah's sophisticated anti-tank missiles are perhaps the guerrilla group's deadliest weapon in Lebanon fighting, with their ability to pierce Israel's most advanced tanks.
Experts say this is further evidence that Israel is facing a well-equipped army in this war, not a ragtag militia.
Hezbollah has fired Russian-made Metis-M anti-tank missiles and owns European-made Milan missiles, the army confirmed on Friday.
In the last two days alone, these missiles have killed seven soldiers and damaged three Israeli-made Merkava tanks — mountains of steel that are vaunted as symbols of Israel's military might, the army said. Israeli media say most of the 44 soldiers killed in four weeks of fighting were hit by anti-tank missiles.
"They (Hezbollah guerrillas) have some of the most advanced anti-tank missiles in the world," said Yossi Kuperwasser, a senior military intelligence officer who retired earlier this summer.
"This is not a militia, it's an infantry brigade with all the support units," Kuperwasser said.
Israel contends that Hezbollah gets almost all of its weaponry from Syria and by extension Iran, including its anti-tank missiles.
That's why cutting off the supply chain is essential — and why fighting Hezbollah after it has spent six years building up its arsenal is proving so painful to Israel, officials say.
Israel's Merkava tanks boast massive amounts of armor and lumber and resemble fortresses on tracks. They are built for crew survival, according to Globalsecurity.org, a Washington-based military think tank.
Hezbollah celebrates when it destroys one.
"A Zionist armored force tried to advance toward the village of Chihine. The holy warriors confronted it and destroyed two Merkava tanks," the group proclaimed on television Thursday.
The Israeli army confirmed two attacks on Merkava tanks that day — one that killed three soldiers and the other killing one. The three soldiers who were killed on Friday were also killed by anti-tank missiles, the army said.
It would not say whether the missiles disabled the tanks.
"To the best of my understanding, they (Hezbollah) are as well-equipped as any standing unit in the Syrian or Iranian armies," said Eran Lerman, a retired army colonel and now director of the Israel/Middle East office of the American Jewish Committee. "This is not a rat-pack guerrilla, this is an organized militia."
Besides the anti-tank missiles, Hezbollah is also known to have a powerful rocket-propelled grenade known as the RPG29. These weapons are also smuggled through Syria, an Israeli security official said, and were previously used by Palestinian militants in Gaza to damage tanks.
On Friday, Jane's Defense Weekly, a defense industry magazine, reported that Hezbollah asked Iran for "a constant supply of weapons" to support its operations against Israel.
The report cited Western diplomatic sources as saying that Iranian authorities promised Hezbollah a steady supply of weapons "for the next stage of the confrontation."
Top Israeli intelligence officials say they have seen Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers on the ground with Hezbollah troops. They say that permission to fire Hezbollah's longer-range missiles, such as those could reach Tel Aviv, would likely require Iranian go-ahead.
Israel needs to deploy a whole line of cardboard decoy tanks or something and run them out of ammunition.
They say that permission to fire Hezbollah's longer-range missiles, such as those could reach Tel Aviv, would likely require Iranian go-ahead.
I thought the Iranians might be keeping the decision to launch on Tel Aviv in their hands. Nasrallah would have ordered the strikes long ago if he had the authority. If there are missile strikes on Tel Aviv it will signal Iran's desire for a wider war in the region.
Tehran is asking for it. Damascus is asking for it.
Remote controlled scrap decoys painted to look like the real thing, that would probably save some lives.
....methinks the MSM is gonna try to overhype these as the King Tiger & Panther tanks of the 21st century:
unstoppable, mass-butchering weapons that'll lose the war for the good guys.
The 9K131 Metis-M (AT-13) is an improved version of the 9K115 Metis (AT-7 SAXHORN). This improved missile has two alternate warheads: a 4.6-kg tandem shaped-charge with a precursor charge for overcoming ERA with a penetration of 800-900 mm of RHA; and a 4.95 kg fuel-air explosive warhead for attacking bunkers and similar targets. This improved missile has a maximum range of 1500 meters.
No journalists should be allowed to photograph. All communications jammed. This is all out war. They all must die.
At what point in the near future will we attack Iran?
I don't think Iran is ready with its nuke yet, and I don't think there'll be any more escalation of this. It may mean hanging Hez out to dry, but what Iran is obviously planning on is having a UN resolution come in and rescue Hez, which is exactly what's going to happen. Thus Hez won't really be hung out to dry, just a little embarrassed, and they'll start up again as soon the coast is clear.
Iran will strike when it can, but it's not ready yet. Iran probably didn't expect Israel to respond, and Hez certainly didn't expect it. So they're not really ready for a devastating blow - IMHO.
There it's fixed.
L
Don't know.
My thoughts are that the Israeli's need to deal with Hezbullah and Hamas before the time comes. Can't have gnats gnawing at the borders of Israel while dealing with Syria and Iran, huh?
Rummy is right, Cold War machinery is no match for modern weapons. That goes for aircraft carriers too.
BTTT...
It most likely will result in attacks on Damascus and Tehran
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