ISRAEL IS UNDERESTIMATING ITS ENEMIES!

Hezbollah Is More Sophisticated Than Expected

http://thetrumpet.com/index.php?page=article&id=2423

he war between Israel and Hezbollah has now lasted 23 days. Israel, to this point, despite undertaking over 5,000 bombing sorties and sending thousands of troops onto the ground in Lebanon, has been unable to even slow down Hezbollah’s relentless rocket attacks.

One of the biggest surprises of this war has been the sophistication of Hezbollah’s offensive. In addition to its canny media campaign, which has done much to swing international opinion against Israel and into its own favor, Hezbollah has employed a very effective military strategy—digging in to well-fortified, well-stocked bunkers that are effectively resistant to Israeli air assaults—and is using more-advanced weaponry than Israel was aware it possessed.

A few examples tell the story. Israel was surprised to learn on July 14, when an Israeli missile boat off the Lebanese coast was almost sunk, that Hezbollah possessed a radar-guided c-802 anti-ship missile that Iran had acquired from China. Commanders in Israel’s Armored Corps say Hezbollah has been using Russian anti-tank guided missiles; they have recovered shells or launchers of two anti-tank systems, one of which has a greater range than that of Israel’s anti-tank weapons. On July 28, five Hezbollah rockets reached the town of Afula, about seven miles south of Nazareth—deeper into Israeli territory than any previous attacks; the Israeli Defense Force claims they were Fajr-5 rockets, which have a 200-pound warhead (double that of the Fajr-3 rockets that are hitting Haifa, further north) and a 45-mile range. On top of all these has been the sheer volume of rockets Hezbollah has launched (last week alone it fired over 1,500; this week has been comparable). Apparently they have enough at their disposal to fire them almost indiscriminately (as Daniel Henninger wrote last week, they’re using “unguided artillery Katyusha rockets like bullets”), with no signs of letting up, and the distinct possibility that even more powerful armaments wait in store.

In addition to demonstrating the strength of Hezbollah, these facts demonstrate an astounding failure of Israeli intelligence. Again and again, Israel has been caught off guard by Hezbollah’s capabilities. “Such failures are surprising and discouraging, given that Israel has been tracking and fighting Hezbollah for nearly a quarter-century,” wrote Bret Stephens in OpinionJoural.

Israeli efforts to characterize their offensive to this point as a victory are, sadly, belied by the facts. In reality, Israel is up against what intelligence firm Stratfor says could be “the most resilient and well-motivated opposition force in its history.”

VERY informative. Thanks.

I have a feeling that Israel knew about these weapons but under estimated the fact that Iran had more people in Lebanon and the use of these weapons were in better trained hands I also believe all of these Civilans with the exceptions of very young children getting killed in Lebanon are in fact Hezbollah with another face.The face of the Military in places such as Palistine, Iran,Syria are fourteen yrs. and above Male and Female.And as of yesterday they actualy killed Iranian Military Personal.

Is there not ample reason for a formal declaration of war against Iran? Bomb their oil infrastructure and they are done. No money to finance terror and foment war. Guessing the only reason for not doing it is we aren't ready to pay $6.00 a gallon.

I listened to Arab Union President on C-Span the other day sounded like most of those Arabs either support these Country's or are very afraid of them and we all know how much France ,Russia,China will help us they would not do anything with out the UN to push them and that Jerk Koffann is helping the very people that the UN was formed to protect us from.

What about their comms? Israelis are capable of interrupting/intercepting all but the most sophisticated comms methods...Yet the Hezbollah was able to coordinate operations on 60km front. Things that make me go "hmmmm".

I wouldn't say the Hezbollah was more sophisticated, just that they had more sophisticated weapons than Isreal knew about.

Its a reach to believe that they could have known in advance of anti-ship missles that are small, compact and easily concealed, were in the hands of the Hezbollah.

I still say that if we really wanted to help out Isreal, we should refit BB-62, and hand it over to them. Imagine what that would do to change the face of the entire region.
Last time she was there:

New Jersey was recommissioned at Long Beach, California, on 28 December 1982. She was modernized, receiving an installation of 16 Harpoon missiles, with a range of about 60 miles, and 32 Tomahawk missiles, with a range of about 500 miles.

In 1983, a bloody civil war was raging in Lebanon, and U.S. naval forces were offshore to protect U.S. interests and U.S. Marines who had landed in the war-torn country. On September 19, after a period in which U.S. ships fired when U.S. position were attacked, USS Virginia (CGN 38) and USS John Rogers (DD 983) fired 338 rounds from their 5-inch guns in support of Lebanese Army forces defending the strategically important village of Sug el Gharb in the Shouf Mountains east of Beirut. This signaled a shift in U.S. policy, and on 25 September, New Jersey took up station off Beirut.

On 28 November, the U.S. government announced that New Jersey would be retained off Beirut although her crew would be rotated. On 14 December, New Jersey fired 11 projectiles from her 16-inch guns at hostile positions inland of Beirut. This is the first 16-inch shells fired for effect anywhere in the world since New Jersey ended her time on the gunline in Vietnam in 1969.

On 8 February 1984, New Jersey fired almost 300 shells at Druze and Syrian positions in the Bekka Valley east of Beirut. Some 30 of these massive projectiles rained down on a Syrian command post, killing the general commanding Syrian forces in Lebanon and several other senior officers. This was the heaviest shore bombardment since the Korean War.

I don't think this "cease fire" is worth shite unless and until UN Resolutions (which have all the serious intent of most New year's resolutions) are enforced banning Hezbollah from digging in arond from civilian neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, et.al. which is understood in any event to be a violation of the Geneva Conventions governing the use of human shields; and furthermore disarming Hezbollah by going in with boots on the ground in UN Blue dismantling all such emplacements.

Like that's going to happen.

At some point war with Iran is going to be inevitable IMO. But the Left in this country will no longer support a war against terror and sponsors of terror. Most of them are Internationalists who would just as soon see the United States lose and Israel cease to exist.

At least the CINC is using the term Islamo-fascist again and, wonder of wonders, apparently not apologizing for it.


Sorry about the rant.