Anti-armour from the east: although the consequences of Tsahal's faux pas in south Lebanon in 2006 have not yet been fully analysed, observers and experts agree upon the fact that modern anti-armour weapons in well-trained hands remain lethal. Despite Israeli air, armour, electronics support and supposed C31 superiorities, Hezbollah scored dozens of deadly hits on Tsahal's heavy armoured vehicles.

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Anti-armour

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Anti-armour from the east: although the consequences of Tsahal's faux pas in south Lebanon in 2006 have not yet been fully analysed, observers and experts agree upon the fact that modern anti-armour weapons in well-trained hands remain lethal. Despite Israeli air, armour, electronics support and supposed C31 superiorities, Hezbollah scored dozens of deadly hits on Tsahal's heavy armoured vehicles.

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While much of the Hezbollah's success can be attributed to its unparalleled knowledge of the terrain, adapted tactics and aggressive actions, it is the second time in the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) history that antitank weapons wreak such havoc in its tanks units. In October 1973 swarms of Sagger and RPG-7 ravaged hundreds of M60s and Centurions sent out in improvised counter-attacks without infantry or artillery support.

Tehran's protege was massively provided with modern Russian-made antitank missiles and shoulder-launched rocket systems. Hezbollah militants took advantage of the terrain to trap the Israeli tanks at short distance. Well-trained by Iranian and Syrian military advisers, they had identified the weak points of IDF tanks, avoiding frontal shots and systematically aiming at flanks and rear parts, with television footage of burned-to-the-ground Merkava tanks highlighting the efficiency of the new generation of eastern anti-armour weapons.

According to official Israeli reports, 50 Merkava tanks had been hit by missiles or rocket-propelled grenades, and three t...

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