Israel's Tanks Succumbing To Hezbollah's Missiles
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Courtesy Of: SignOnSandiego.com
By Benjamin Harvey
Associated Press
August 4, 2006

Jerusalem--Hezbollah's sophisticated anti-tank missiles are perhaps the guerrilla group's deadliest weapons in Lebanon's fighting, with their ability to pierce Israel's most advanced tanks.

Experts say this is further evidence that Israel is facing a well-equipped army in the war, not a ragtag militia.

Hezbollah has fired Russian-made Metis-M anti-tank missiles and owns European-made Milan missiles, the army confirmed on Friday.

In the last two days alone, these missiles have killed seven soldiers and damaged three Israeli made Merkava tanks--Mountains of steel that are vaunted as symbols of Israel's military might, the army said.

Israeli media say most of the 44 soldiers killed in four weeks of fighting were hit by anti-tank missiles.

"They (Hezbollah guerrillas) have some of the most advanced anti-tank missiles in the world," said Yossi Kuperwasser, a senior military intelligence officer who retired this summer.

"This is not a militia, it's an infantry brigade with all the support units," Kuperwasser said.

...Israel's Merkava tanks boast massive amounts of armor and lumber and resembles fortresses on tracks. They are built for crew survival, according to GlobalSecurity.org, a Washington-based military think tank.

Hezbollah celebrates when it destroys one.

"A Zionist armored force tried to advance toward the village of Chilhine. The holy warriors confronted it and destroyed two Merkava tanks," the group proclaimed on television Thursday.

The Israeli Army confirmed two attacks on Merkava tanks that day--One that killed three soldiers and the other killing one. The three soldiers who were killed on Friday were also killed by anti-tank missiles, the army said.

..."To the best of my understanding, they (Hezbollah) are as well-equipped as any standing unit in the Syrian or Iranian Armies," said Eran Lerman, a retired army colonel and now director of the Israel/Middle East office of the American Jewish Committe.

"This is not a rat-pack guerrilla, this is an organized militia."

Besides the anti-tank missiles, Hezbollah is also known to have a powerful rocket-propelled grenade known as the RPG29.


Source:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20060804-1345-mideastfighting-hezbollahsmissiles.html