TEL AVIV — Israel has acknowledged that Hizbullah damaged at least
25 main battle tanks and armored vehicles.
Officials said Hizbullah anti-tank missiles have struck and disabled
between 25 and 30 tanks, armored personnel carriers and armored bulldozers
over the last two weeks. They said most of the armored vehicles were
repaired, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Israel has been working to stop the anti-tank missiles," Brig. Gen.
Alon Friedman, chief of staff of Northern Command, said on Thursday.
Friedman said 25 MBTs and other armored vehicles were damaged by
Hizbullah anti-tank missiles. He said all of the vehicles were repaired and
many returned to operations.
Officials said Hizbullah has employed anti-tank missiles against both
Israeli armored platforms as well as troops. They said Hizbullah fired a
range of weapons, including the Russian-origin AT-14 Kornet and Sagger,
European-origin Milan, and the U.S.-origin TOW.
Friedman's assertion contrasted with those of junior officers deployed
in Lebanon. They reported that 20 percent of Hizbullah missiles struck MBTs.
"Hizbullah has been very successful in the use of anti-tank missiles and
this has led to a sharp decline in armored support for infantry," a military
source said. "Most of the time, infantry units are alone without any armored
or air support."
[On Friday, the New York Times reported that Israel has asked the United
States for immediate deliveries of the M-26 short-range artillery rockets.
The request for the M-26, which contains cluster submunitions, was expected
to be approved and fired against Hizbullah rocket launch sites in southern
Lebanon.]
The military has sought to develop counter-measures to Hizbullah
anti-tank missiles. So far, two state-owned firms, Rafael, Israel Armament
Development Authority and Israel Military Industries, have developed
electro-magnetic defense systems designed to destroy rockets before they
strike their targets.
But the systems remain in the prototype stage and require further
development and testing. Officials said additional funds would be invested
to accelerate the tank self-protection program.
