Israeli Military Tactics


Smoke rises over the centre of southern Lebanon's Tyre (Soure) July 26, 2006 after Israeli bombings. (LEBANON)

26 Jul 2006 REUTERS/Nikola Solic

Lebanon says up to 600 killed in Israel's assault

EU denies giving Israel green light

The European Union rebuked the Israeli government today after its justice minister claimed "permission from the world" to press on with its Lebanon campaign.

Haim Ramon, who is a close ally of the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said failure at yesterday's Rome conference to agree on an immediate ceasefire in the 16-day-old crisis amounted to a green light for Israel to continue its offensive.

As both sides stepped up their rocket and missile attacks and Israel called up more reserves, the Finnish foreign minister, Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, called the interpretation "totally wrong" and said the fighting should stop immediately. "Most of the countries, including the European Union, [...] specifically want an immediate halt to the hostilities," he said.

A long war of attrition

Israel underestimated the strength of Hizbullah and its ability to withstand bombardment from the air.

by Yossi Alpher

Thanks to my father again

The IDF has gone soft, they have grown used to bulldozing and bombing Palestinian's and their homes unopposed, so it must come as a shock for the IDF to actually come up agaist an opponent as tenacious and tough as Hezbollah.

Hezbollah are fighting in their own territory and they have probably have been preparing for this for years, building tunnels, stocking arms etc.

When you start losing 10% of your troops in your unit, it doesn't take long for the unit to become demoralised. Israel is having to call up 'more troops' to replace the units which are now mostly ineffective.

Fierce debates are going on between military experts about this.