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.
This is Not Good. They had to have gotten them from Iran, Egypt or Saudi (or one of a number of other Muslim states. I suspect the serial numbers on those cases and/or the missles inside have been sent to Washington, and by tomorrow the US, and Israel, will know who's been supplying them either direct to the Hezbos, or to their agents in Killeen.
It is very dangerous to underestimate the intelligence of your enemy. Hezbos may be fanatics, but they are not dumb. In fact they have proven to be very capable war-fighters.
I think we'll be finding that out soon enough.
"This is the defining moment in the ME"
I have thought that since the beginning of this event. My concern is not the Israeli's but our fortitude in getting everyone to back off and let Israel finish this.
---including on US soil---
Yep. Time to start gathering personal intelligence.
A knowledgeable soul I sent those to, said that the markings didn't look like they were from a US/DoD source, i.e. not stolen / found on battlefield.
I wonder how many other nations have TOW. I bet there are some serious U.S. military intelligence types taking a hard look at those captured weapons with the Israelis right now.
Looks like the ante has been upped on antiarmor weapons.
And the AP is having trouble hiding its glee in reporting this.
How about Israel tells Iran we are going to take out your oil fields and all your oil producing capacity
See how much trouble they cause with no oil to sell
The IDF has lost only 44 soldiers since this campaign to lance the Hezbollah boil started. Hezbollah has likely lost thousands, although their disinformation campaign has carefully hidden the numbers.
The world media is busy spinning a Hezbollah debacle into a IDF defeat, and it will continue to do so no matter how bloodied and battered Hezbollah gets. Even total annihilation of Hezbollah would be reported as a Hezbollah victory.
Unless the current Iranian regime is toppled, Iran is destined to suffer horrific if not total devastation. It has chosen that destination and is eagerly sprinting toward it with all the misguided zeal it can muster.
The MSM isn't even bothering with a socalled 'neutral' slant. This article reveals barely repressed glee over dead Israeli soldiers.
Could Asso Propaganda be more hysteric and melodramatic? 44 soldiers in 4 weeks. That is one of the most pathetic performance by a guerrilla force in world history. But what does Asso Propaganda do? Spin it as this massive dramatic victory for the terrorists. What utter and complete nonsense. The number of people we lose in training accidents each year will be a higher number then Hizbollah will manage to kill in battle
The Israelis, with their limited offensive so far, are essentially using their Merkavas as if they were WW2 assault guns (German concept) or 'infantry support tanks' (British Concept). They essentially follow the IDF infantry in until a target is spotted, the Merk rolls up to a shooting position & shoots the bunker, building, etc. Problems happen when the Infantry fails to spot a concealed AT weapons team.
As long as the IDF is limiting their offensive operations in this way, they are going to lose tanks. If this were a fast-moving, deep penetration beyond the Litani River, they'd lose far fewer tanks to this sort of thing & they'd bag the Hezzies in the process. The IDF would then be risking a possible Syrian flank-attack. So the IDF has made their strategic decision (limited depth, methodical destruction of Hezbollah), and the operational & tactical decisions flow from there.
Ahmadinejad is prepared to fight to the last Hezbollah militiaman. This is all a distraction to prevent the US from focusing on the Iranians themselves. Strategic deception.
The Lebanese need to wake-up & smell the coffee. Neither Iran nor Hezbollah has Lebanon's best interests in mind.
Good point. And several Apaches have been shot down in Iraq. There probably won't be too many more accidents. When do we get to hear caualty figures for the terrorists?
Got news for ya. The M1A2 Abrams & the British Challenger II wouldn't do much better in this type of operation. This is close terrain & urban fighting. Lots of chances for flank shots by advanced AT weapons. Limited approaches giving the enemy a chance to place mines, etc. If the IDF had made a few mass tank rushes in a limited number of axis to the Litani & beyond, they wouldn't be losing the tanks. The IDF infantry could then deal with the cut-off Hez militia at their leisure. Israel has chosen not to do a deep, quick strike.
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