Intelligence

Hezbollah's weaponry surprises Israelis

TheStar.com - Hezbollah's weaponry surprises Israelis

Anti-tank missiles called main threat
Guerrillas well-prepared: Army officials
Aug. 11, 2006. 05:38 AM
CONAL URQUHART
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

MEDULLA, Israel—Israeli forces have been astonished at the discovery of networks of bunkers and computerized weapons in Hezbollah positions, officials say.

Soldiers have discovered air-conditioned bunkers 40 metres below ground and anti-tank weapons that originate in France, the United States and Russia. Many of the tactics and weapons employed by Hezbollah have neutralized Israel's military superiority and made a complete victory difficult to achieve.

Its use of rockets to attack Israel was not unexpected, but Israeli armed forces have been repeatedly surprised since they went on the offensive a month ago. The first major shock was when Hezbollah narrowly missed sinking an Israeli destroyer with a Chinese shore-to-sea missile. Four crew were killed in the attack.

"There were some weapons which we did not know about," said Gen. Ido Nehushtan. "There were others, such as the unmanned aerial vehicles which we had detected before."

The revelations have increased since Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon.

"The main threat is the use of sophisticated anti-tank weapons against our armoured vehicles. One of the most effective is the Kornet, which was supplied by Russia to Iran and then to Hezbollah," said Lt. Col. Olivier Rafowicz.

"We have been very surprised by the quantity of weapons and the incredible building that has been carried out in the last six years. We have found trench systems and 40-metre deep bunkers. We knew they were preparing for war, but we did not realize to what extent."

Soldiers have discovered bunkers with air-conditioning, electricity generators and sophisticated listening and observation devices working in tandem with computers.

The bunkers meant that Hezbollah fighters could shelter from Israeli air and artillery bombardment and then surprise advancing Israeli forces. Often the bunkers were so well hidden that the fighters could wait until the soldiers had passed and then attack them from behind.

Israel has lost more than 80 soldiers in combat.

The Israeli army has historically relied on highly mobile armour and air support to dispatch its enemies. However, air power is less effective against guerrilla fighters who operate in small, dispersed groups.

Israeli armour has been neutralized by Hezbollah's acquisition of state-of-the-art anti-tank weapons.

Hezbollah's older anti-tank weapons have been effective against armoured personnel carriers and against buildings used by soldiers for shelters. Its newer weapons such as the Russian Kornet and the American TOW missiles have succeeded in piercing the armour of Israel's main battle tank, the Merkava, reputed to be one of the best-defended tanks in the world.

As a result, some of Israel's major advantages have been neutralized.

One member of a tank crew who had just left Lebanon said: "It's terrible. You do not fight anti-tank teams with tanks. You use infantry supported by artillery and helicopters. Wide valleys without shelter are the wrong place to use tanks."

In addition, Israel has restricted its use of helicopters, particularly the Apache gun ships. The helicopters have been used to hit coastal targets, but not in the inland valleys and hills for fear of Hezbollah anti-aircraft weapons.

"It's clear that Iran has provided major financial and practical support to Hezbollah. Two-thirds of their weapons are made in Iran or supplied by Iran. Many come initially from Russia," said Rafowicz.

However, he admitted that Hezbollah's prowess also stems from its morale and organization.

"They are very keen to engage our forces. They are not wearing suicide bomb belts but they are not afraid to die, which makes deterrence very difficult," he said.

Nehushtan said Israel believes it may have killed 500 Hezbollah fighters.

"We have to recognize that we will be dealing with new definitions of victory. There will be no white flags being raised on this battlefield," he said.

Conal Urquhart is a freelance journalist based in the Middle East

August 11, 2006 at 08:27 AM in Iran | Permalink | Top of page | Blog Home