http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/israel/army-equipment.htm
Thanks! It looks like the number I posted is about double the actual MBT strength.
I also read that Israel (from the link) lost quite a number of tanks to wire-guided munitions in the past. I'm beginning wonder about the usefulness of tanks with so many different types of tank killers around these days. At least at the start of a major conflict..
The number of tanks lost would have been far greater if it were older variants or Russian tanks!!The Merk did pretty well given the fact that the Israeli government didnt really have a clue of what the objectives of the war should be ,tying up the IDFs hands.Anyway with advances in Explosive reactive armour,active defence systems as well as customisation of tanks for urban combat,the tank still has relevance.