Over the last 24 hours, at least four Israeli soldiers were killed by Hizbullah anti-tank missiles during a battle at Bint Jbail in southern Lebanon. The anti-tank missiles were said to have disabled at least three Merkava tanks and an armored personnel carrier. Israel has acknowledged the loss of a tank and an APC.

"This is a hard war," Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, head of Northern Command, told Israel state radio on Tuesday. "It is a house-to-house war, a room-to-room war. Unless we destroy the room. Then, the question would be asked 'Why were people trapped in the room?'"

Military sources said Hizbullah has mastered the use of night fighting. They said Iranian-trained soldiers have used night-vision goggles to target Israeli armored units.

"The anti-tank missiles mark an an operational challenge," Brig. Gen. Alon Friedman, chief of staff of Northern Command, said. "But it is not a threat that can't be managed. We are talking about tactical capability by either the individual tank or fighter."

Hizbullah obtained the RPG-29 from Syria, the sources said. They said the weapon was also used by Palestinian insurgents in their war against Israel in the Gaza Strip.

"They know where to aim and how to cause the most damage to the Merkava," a military source said.

The RPG-29 grenade launcher was introduced in the Soviet Army in 1989 and designed to defeat MBTs with explosive reactor armor. The PG-29 High Explosive Anti-Tank grenade contains a tandem warhead and a rocket booster with eight fins at the rear.

Industry sources said the smaller warhead was designed to ignite the reactive armor. At that point, the second larger warhead would strike the hull of the tank.

The RPG-29, which can strike targets at 500 meters, was said to have a range double of that of the RPG-7V grenade launcher. The PG-29V was said to be able to penetrate steel armor.

On Monday, the Israeli military released a tape of the interrogation of a Hizbullah soldier who said he was trained by Iran in anti-tank missile operations. The 22-year-old operative said he participated in the abduction of an Israeli soldier on July 12, which sparked the current war.

The Israel Army has asserted that Hizbullah was employing a range of modern anti-tank missiles. The army cited the Metis-M and the Milan, said to have been responsible for the disabling of at least a dozen Merkava tanks.

"They have some of the most advanced antitank missiles in the world," Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser, outgoing analysis director for Israeli military intelligence, said.

The Russian-origin Metis-M, which contains a thermobaric warhead, was also designed to penetrate explosive reactive armor. The wire-guided Metis-M, introduced in 1992, was said to have a range of 1.5 kilometers.

Hizbullah has also used the Russian-origin Kornet to destroy at least five Merkava tanks. The AT-14 Kornet, with a range of up to 5.5 kilometers, was said to be capable of penetrating 1.2 meters of steel armor.

"This is the first time the Kornet has been used by Hizbullah," an Israeli source said. "We believe they received the Kornets from Syria."

Hizbullah has also been successful in firing older missiles such as the Sagger to disable tanks and destroy houses used by Israeli troops. The sources said Hizbullah fighters, operating from bunkers and tunnels, would often fire two Sagger missiles, one to penetrate a concrete block wall and the other to penetrate and explode inside the building.

"We have not been given proper equipment to fight Hizbullah," a reserve officer said. "I am talking about basic equipment. Already, reservists are warning that they will not enter Lebanon under these conditions."

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